Designer Profile; Dion Lee

Sexy, sharp and uber cool. Three things that are top of the list when describing the phenomenal collections by Australian designer Dion Lee. At only 27 years of age, his creations show an understanding and gift for tailoring that many twice his age are still seeking. Structure is a big part of his design, but so is fluidity and both exist in perfect balance throughout Lee's collections. There is also an air of minimalism to his clothes, akin to that seen in Philip Lim or Alexander Wang's collections. 

When asked what inspired him, Lee's answer was music to the sartorially savvy's ears... "I really enjoy the design process on how things are made, and the more technical aspect of how you pull a collection together. I’ve got a really strong interest in pattern making and how the garments are constructed, and that really motivates me." All I can say is whatever you're doing it's working!

Dion Lee SS13 Collection

Adored by many, most notably on the red carpet by Karlie Kloss and Rooney Mara, whilst in the retail world his collections have been picked up by Net-a-Porter and Shopbop, this really is someone to keep your eye firmly fixated upon.

Karlie Kloss in custom Dion Lee with the Designer.

Rooney Mara in Dion Lee. Source: Grazia Daily.

What do you think about Dion Lee? Are you as enamoured with his work as me?!

My Weekend at Henley

This weekend I was lucky enough to have an invitation to experience the Henley Champagne and Cocktail Club at the Royal Regatta. Myself, Mr PP, his brothers and few others in our group travelled down on Friday night to spend the weekend and I was not disappointed! World class racing, beautiful sunshine and delicious cocktails provided by Chase Distillery made this a weekend I will not forget in a hurry!

But instead of me waffling on about it, why not enjoy some pictures instead!

Watching Imperial vs. Isis from the towpath

Lady Lucinda, I just love the waistcoat and boater!

Watching the racing from the Henley Champagne and Cocktail Club

Further down the towpath, HdV bus bar.

A watering can of Chase cocktail!

 This was my favourite part of the weekend, wearing a vintage Chanel bow that was given to me by Mr PP's mum- très chic, non?

My Guide to Henley Royal Regatta

Today sees the start of what is one of the great British institutions; Henley. Five days of racing in this beautiful town sees thousands of spectators watching over 200 races, sipping on Champagne and enjoying the ambience. Here’s my guide on where to go to enjoy the event in style...

The Henley Champagne and CocktailClub; this year the delicious cocktails on offer have been concocted by award-winning bar tender Dominic Jacobs, using the finest single-estate spirits from our CFW sponsor Chase Distillery. From Marmalade and Rhubarb Vodka, to Seville Orange Gin, the flavours on offer from Chase are quintessentially British and oh so delicious. Don’t worry if cocktails aren’t your thing, grab a glass of bubbles from Perrier Jouet or G.H Mumm.

While enjoying your drinks, this is the perfect place to take in the racing, mingle with other racegoers and party to DJ sets from some of London’s Top night clubs. And If all that works up an appetite, Soho-based Pizza Pilgrims will be offering some tasty treats to keep your hunger at bay. With all this, and a few surprises in store, this is going to be the destination to enjoy Henley this year. Buy tickets here.

The Steward’s Enclosure; open only to members and their guests, and there's on a select few of those, if you receive an invite to the Steward’s Enclosure, I recommend you say yes! This is the most exclusive enclosure and the dress code reflects this, think top hats and tails for the gents and a fabulous headpiece for the ladies.

The Regatta Enclosure; a little less formal than the Steward’s Enclosure and open to all with a ticket (buy here), and promises to have a lively atmosphere and a family feel.

Fancy making a little more of your visit? Rhubarb Henley; once again taking over the River lounge, the views are incredible and canapé and champagne breakfast on offer makes this an experience to remember. This is great as a birthday getaway, hen do or just something to feel a bit fancy!

And if rowing isn’t your thing, Mahiki is teaming up with Lexus for a riverside experience where the atmosphere is the focus. With a big screen showing all the Wimbledon matches, and a menu of cool cocktails, this is the ideal haunt for those attending for more of a social event rather than race appreciation.

I'll be sipping on some Chase cocktails in the HCCC on Saturday and Sunday, come and say hi if you're there!

What I'd Wear to Wimbledon

So Wimbledon fever has once again taken hold of the nation, I for one am glued to it on TV. Unfortunately I don't have tickets to the real thing this year, but that doesn't stop me fantasising about my ideal Wimbledon outfit. As it's summer (even though this cloud cover is trying to fool us), I have opted for a pretty tweed tea dress in pastel colours, because let's face it...a quintessential British event needs quintessential British styling!

1. Moschino Cheap and Chic Embellished Printed Dress, available at Harvey Nichols, £230 from £580.

2. Accessorize White Straw Trilby, £12.

3. Mulberry Medium Lily in Oatmeal Micrograin Calf, £895.

4. Sophie Gittins Viola Pearlised Strappy Sandals, available at YoungBritishDesigners.com, £260 from £360.

I'd love to hear what you think of my ideal Wimbledon outfit! What will you be wearing to enjoy the tennis?

Fashion Wish List Three

Many of my friends are making their way down to Somerset today, heading to quite possibly the biggest festival of the summer; Glastonbury. In honour of the great musical getaway, this week's Fashion Wish List is all about festival style.

So first up, it has to be a good pair of denim shorts. Distressed denim, like these from MIH jeans at Matches, always gives a great boho chic look. Team with a simple tee and cover up then go to town with accessories to make the look more interesting. I'd choose oversized bangles, linen scarves and bright neons as the hottest trends around for SS13.

MIH Jeans, £87 from £175

Next up is a good hat. The weather is set to be sunny this weekend and let's face it, there isn't going to be much showering going on so do yourself a favour and invest in something to protect from sunstroke and cover your barnet. I love this Grand Woven Trilby by Christy's. Available at Harvey Nichols online at £45, it's a bargain that will keep you looking cool all weekend and long into the rest of summer.

Christy's Grand Woven Trilby

Third on the list, a casual summer dress. Loose fitting and fabulous is my festival fashion motto. That way you'll stay uber comfy in the warm weather and when dancing into the wee hours of the morning! I love Lolly's Laundry monochrome and taupe take on snake print in this shirt dress, £75 from £105 at atterleyroad.com. If you aren't a fan of the oversized look, try cinching in at the waist with a belt to accentuate your figure. Accessorise again with neon jewellery.

Lolly's Laundry Bibi Printed Shirt Dress

Now for the cover-ups. We all know the evenings can get pretty chilly in the UK (and the days can too!) so it's always wise to bring a cosy cover up to Glastonbury. Top of my Fashion Wish List would be this Brick Heather Cardi by Anna Sui. £145 from £484 at shopbop.com, this has the casual boho look written all over it. Team it with shorts, over a dress or even with jeans if the weather gets really cold-this is the perfect match to just about any outfit.

Anna Sui Brick Heather Cover Up

Finally on this week's Fashion Wish List; wellies! It would be foolish not to take them to Glasto, even if the weather forecast is looking great. That's why I've chosen these short gloss boots in a pretty pastel lilac from Hunter at Kurt Geiger. The colour is bang on trend for SS13 and the shorter boot height will ensure you won't get too overheated, just in case it really does stay sunny!

Hunter Original Short Gloss Boots, £49 from £70

What will you be wearing to Glastonbury this weekend, let me know in the comments box below!

Fashion Wish List Two

Hi PPRs! This week's fashion wish list is primarily based around the summer sales that have hit stores online and in the flesh this week, so I promise you there will be some absolute bargains! Happy perusing!

First up this week on my fashion wish list is an incredible Roksanda Ilincic dress, that I have been coveting ever since I first laid my beady eye upon it looking for a dress for Henley. Unfortunately it's a little too much cash for me to warrant spending full price (but fingers crossed it will go into the sale and I'll snap that bad boy up)! So here it is; the Sessler Colour Block Wool Crepe Dress in orange and pink. Available at net-a-porter.com priced at a very cool £1,130, this is definitely the most expensive item on my list this week!

Next, I've been waiting for weeks for the summer sales to start! And Whistles have most definitely not disappointed. I saw these Grappelini Sandals at the start of the season and for some reason didn't buy them (I can't remember why now!) but I'm sure glad I did...they're now in the sale (and in my shopping bag) for £75 from £125! 

Third up; I love a good pencil skirt. They're so good for work-I just throw on a oversized jumper and sleek pair of courts and it works EVERY TIME. Who says office dressing is hard?! So next on my list is this printed jersey pencil skirt by Raquel Allegra at HN. At a mere £73, my advice would be to snap this up quick before it's gone!

The next piece on my list I saw months ago on Young British Designers, so yes it's thankfully now in the sale (£225 from £575), but it still looks so current it's unbelievable! The sculpted and sexy Prince Dress from Zoe Jordan in Pompidou Print is utterly gorgeous and sophisticated and will look perfect at any summer events or dos you have on the books.

And last but not least....This Mandy Cami from Reiss. I love the fluoro trim and the soft grey colour. Colour blocking and fluoro are hot trends right now and this top is so versatile you could wear it with anything and everything. Unfortunately not in the sale but it is made from a silk/viscose blend so worth splashing a little extra cash on; £79.

So, I hope you like this week's wish list! Let me know which are your favourite pieces! Happy shopping!

Graduate Fashion Week, The Winners

Last week saw the 4 day extravaganza that was the 22nd Graduate Fashion Week in London. The theme for 2013 was firmly focused on employability, promotion of new talent and how to bridge the gap between graduation and starting anew in the fashion industry. Perhaps this theme was inspired by recent economic news, or the fact that the dreaded 'recession' word is still unflinchingly on everyone's lips? But either way, it's great that there is such a high profile celebration of young designers emerging from UK colleges. 

Throughout the week there were a huge array of events from workshops on how to land the perfect job,  catwalk shows from each of the main six colleges, all culminating in the glitz and glamour of the gala show that took place on Wednesday evening. During the gala, budding designers showed their final collection on the catwalk to be judged by some incredible talent in the industry, including British designers Roland Mouret, Holly Fulton and Todd Lynn; swoon-worthy model David Gandy and fashion retail giants Fiona Lambert from George, Stephen Ayres from Liberty's and Holli Rogers from Net-a-porter; to name but a handful!

So, the judges had the unenviable task of choosing between the beautiful final collections of a number of graduates, with Lauren Smith from the Edinburgh College of Art took home the gold award. The prize for her quirky cool collection inspired by an artists sketchbook, won her £20,000 and the opportunity to design a capsule collection for headline sponsor George.

Other winners included Hannah Williams from UCA Epsom, stealing the show and being presented with the Innovation Award for her minimalist collection in pastel and white embossed latex.

Kirandeep Bassan from the University of Northampton took home the Textiles Award for her show-stopping pieces in rainbow colours.

The Menswear Award was handed to Shauni Douglas and Olivia Creber from Edinburgh College of Art for their exciting, beautifully-finished tailored pieces. 

Finally, the Visionary Knitwear Award was bestowed upon Thea Saunders of Nottingham Trent for her incredible oversized, vibrant designs which the judges described as "Chloe meets Marni"!

Congratulations to all!

Photocredit: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/news

Fashion Wish List One

I've been inspired by many a blog and website as of late and so I've decided to branch out my posts to include regular features, such as my Outfit du Jour and Recipe du Jour (which you may have already seen). The newest feature is going to be a Fashion Wish List; with a lowdown on what I'm loving at the time of writing, where you can buy it and how much it is. 

I love internet shopping, and inevitably spend at least an hour everyday perusing online sites for my next purchases so I thought I'd make the most out of this 'research' and turn it into a regular read! I hope you enjoy!

First up is the incredible Patchwork Embellished Dress from Whistles. This is the most expensive item on my wish list this week at £450, but it's super cool geometric colour block design and cocoon shape is so on-trend you'll never want to take it off! Whistles is a favourite of mine and I'm always so bowled over by the quality and fit of the clothes, that although the dress may be on the expensive side, in my opinion it's totally worth it.

Patchwork Embellished Dress, £450

Second on my wish list this week are these Wedge Sandals from Cos. At £89 they are a mid-price pair that are great for summer. The crossover straps are again very on-trend, and I love the raw edged leather around the ankle. 

Wedge Sandals, £89

Next is this absolute bargain of a belt from Aqua by Aqua. The Jelly Black Skinny Belt is currently in the sale at £15 (down from £30) and is from the Private Benjamin collection online. There's nothing overly special about this belt, but a black skinny belt, (much like jeans) is a wardrobe staple for any girl.

Jelly Black Skinny Belt, £15

I couldn't resist a bit of bling on my list! And this Kenneth Jay Lane Gold-tone Faceted Resin Necklace is certainly that! I love the colour-great to spice up any outfit, and with 50% of at theoutnet.com it's really reasonable and you know it won't leave your neck green like some cheap jewellery.

Gold-tone Faceted Resin Necklace, £67.50

Finally, the last item on this week's wish list is Zara's Jacquard Pattern Blouse in Green Grass (also available in sky blue - cute colour names!). This made it on to the list because I just love the colour, it makes me smile and I think it would be an easy way to jazz up a pair of jeans or capri pants, for a smart casual look that you can wear anywhere.

Jacquard Pattern Blouse, £39.99

Recipe du Jour - Butterfly Lamb with Butternut Squash, Quinoa and Apricot Salad

OK, so yesterday was first day back in the office after the weekend and to be honest, my outfit was nothing to write home about! I was however cooking a scrummy meal for the BF, so decided my post would be a Recipe du Jour, rather than an Outfit du Jour. Let me know what you think!

After dog-walking on Sunday, we popped into the Ludlow Food Centre to pick up some goodies for dinner this week. They always have an incredible, great quality meat selection and lamb is a favourite in our household. Leg is always really good for roasting and when butterflied (bone removed) is super quick and easy to cook, plus Casper loves to nom down on the bone! I picked one up, along with an organic squash and some juicy apricots and thought I'd try to concoct something out of my ingredients.

First I roasted the squash, on a tray in some good quality olive oil. I cut it into small pieces and whacked it into the oven for about 20mins at 180 degrees.

Whilst those were cooking away nicely, I made a garlic, rosemary and lemon rub, again with some great quality olive oil to slather over the lamb. I used 2 springs of rosemary, the juice of one lemon and 4 cloves of garlic which I pummelled in a pestle and mortar. I coated the lamb and placed them on a tray on top of a bed of red and white onions and slices of lemon.

I popped this into the oven with the squash and roasted both for a further 25 minutes.

While these were cooking, I boiled up some quinoa in a pan with half a vegetable stock cube, a spoonful of english cider mustard from our local, (and best) cider maker Tom Oliver, and a smidge of garlic puree, until light and fluffy.

I took the lamb and squash out of the oven and set the lamb aside to rest. I sliced up the bed of onions and added them to the quinoa along with the lamb juice, squash and two neatly cubed apricots. 

The BF then sliced the lamb, as I'm pretty useless at it and tend to ruin it whenever I try! Plus there's an ongoing joke in our house that's it's a "man's job", just like taking out the bins! 

So, that's it! Simple and delicious! And here's the finished product, enjoyed with a nice glass of Rosé. Let me know what you think!

Outfit du Jour - Lunch and Dog Walk

Good afternoon all! What a gorgeously sunny day it's been! Perfect doggy walking weather, and that's exactly what I've been doing, mixed with a spot of lunch in foodie haven Ludlow. I have to admit, living in Herefordshire is great for foodies, the local produce is incredible and the copious farms and farm shops means that there's a never ending supply of fresh, local produce that pubs and restaurants regularly take full advantage of. 

Today, a friend and I decided to drive 15 minutes over the Herefordshire border into Shropshire, to the amazing little town of Ludlow, if you haven't heard of it you should look it up. It's super cute! Amazing old buildings, quaint cafes and boutiques and some of the best restaurants outside London (officially), including a couple of Michelin starred eateries. Today we opted for something a little lower key; a pub called The Marches on Market Square. We pulled up a couple of chairs in the beer garden and ordered a couple of spritzers to 'rehydrate' after our rather long walk in Mortimer Forest with Casper the dog. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful afternoon, which made the wine taste just that bit sweeter! I didn't quite realise how warm it was going to be, but luckily I chose my outfit well and kept my cool in the summer sun.

As I was going on a dog walk before lunch, I knew I needed something versatile, comfortable and nothing that a bit of slobber would ruin! I chose a pair of Levi's demi curve dark indigo skinnies, a French Connection turquoise silk vest top and a navy and white striped blazer from Gant in case any sneaky clouds decided to rear their ugly heads, which fortunately they didn't! I accessorised the outfit up with a bead and feather necklace by Antik Batik, Nine West grey open toe shoe boots and a Marc by Marc Jacobs grey croc effect patent leather bag.

Oh and of course, I had these in the boot for the actual walk! 

What do you think? How would you accessorise this outfit? 

     

Outfit du Jour - Lunch Date with a Friend

So, I'm not sure I mentioned this, but last week we picked up Casper, my boyfriend's family dog before his parents relocate to NYC. He's gorgeous- a huge weimaraner that requires large amounts of walking! I've gotten into the habit of waking up early on weekdays before work and taking him for a nice romp around the farm. Unfortunately, Cass has now taken to waking me up at the same time on a weekend. This morning was no different, and here was our view (at 6.30am!)...

But I shouldn't really complain, it does give me plenty of time to get showered and beautified in the mornings! Today I've got a lunch date with a friend in The Cotswolds, and the weather couldn't be nicer, see above picky. To celebrate, I'm getting my legs out but don't worry, I slapped a layer of instant tan on.  

So my Outfit du Jour consists of...Gant tortoise shell sunnies, Markus Lupfer 'Sinner' tee, Firetrap skirt, Jimmy Choo pink croc clutch and Aldo nude courts.  

Let me know what you think!

Style Profile - Milla Jovovich

I don't have brothers and didn't grow up with boys so I wasn't really exposed to sci fi films or action movies or anything like that. In fact, until recently I had never seen Resident Evil until a few months ago! I did however watch The Fifth Element, and was completely obsessed with it! In particular Milla Jovovich's character. Even as a ten year old I thought she was beautiful, and captivating - an incredible actress. 

It was great to see Jovovich at Cannes this year, looking just as beautiful as when I first saw her in The Fifth Element (and not a day older)! Here are my favourite Jovovich red carpet moments from the festival.

1. Chanel Couture floral print dress 2. Chanel Fine Jewellery Earrings 3. Armani navy blue, crystal embellished backless dress 4. Valentino cascading ruffle gown 5. Prada navy blue backless gown with split skirt

Which is your favourite Milla look?

Outfit du Jour - Casual Friday

So it's Friday! Yay! And it's sunny! Double Yay! Friday's for me mean casual attire in the office, which I always think is quite tricky as I don't want to come in looking too dressed down. Plus for those that know me, you'll know that I don't really do casual! 

With this in mind, I've gone for jeans on my lower half. The J Brand Martini Flare in indigo to be specific! I love J Brand-the fit's great, the quality's amazing and the shape of these flares is just perfect. Don't get me wrong I love a good skinny jean but there's something about a flare that I just can't get enough of at the minute (plus I saw VB in a pair at the beginning of the week and so took some inspiration from her)!

On my top half, I decided on a cream pussy bow blouse by Walter Baker for The Outnet. This gives the outfit a slightly dressier look that I think makes it more office-appropriate. I've also layered on a blue leopard print sweater from Gerard Darel to keep me warm when I left home early this morning! Gerard Darel usually gets a bad rep amongst the younger crowd, but I have to say the recent collections have been much more friendly to the 20-30 somethings-I have a feeling it's something to do with the absolutely STUNNING model in their ad campaigns for SS13! Anyway, go and give them a look and you may just be pleasantly surprised!

As for accessories, I kept things simple with a nude court from Aldo, a nude clutch from TK Maxx, and Oscar de la Renta sunnies!

I also think this outfit would look great with a pair of fluoro yellow courts like these beauties from Whistles at £125.

Let me know what you think in the comments box below!