The Great Outdoors

I count down the days until the weekend, constantly checking the weather forecast on my phone, praying that there is no rain. I want to get outdoors, sick of being chaining to my desk in an office a two hour commute away. My life is spent on buses, on trains and shut indoors. I long for vast open spaces and epic scenery. I want to stand on the top of hills, photography reflections in still lakes and run through the trees. 

Images 1-4: Bethany Olson

Images 5-8: Katie Ruther

INSTAGRAM LOVE

@adrianasinke

My latest Instagram discoveries are all based on the north west coast of America and Canada, drawing on my ache to visit this part of the world. I can't get enough of the breaking waves, rugged cliffs, green forests and terrifyingly high railways that they share on their feeds.

Do let me know if you have any suggestions for me to follow.

I have started a new Instagram account, follow me @kissesxstitches

@bethanyolson

@courtmoly

@jaredchambers

@jessewald

@jordanvoth

@katieruthh

@laura_austin

@mtischer

NYFW

Clover Canyon

When it comes to Fashion Week, more often than not I am drawn towards the clothes that I would actually wear. I love an OTT 3-D embellished asymmetric dress as much as the next gal but my musings towards the most avant-garde of the fashion world are usually confined to comparisons to art: it looks beautiful, no doubt it is insanely expensive; I'll admire it from afar.

When it comes to the more wearable of the ready-to-wear spectrum, you find yourself making mental notes of styling ideas and must-buy garments of the type that you will easily be able to recreate with a high-street budget. 

Take Clover Canyon's technicoloured printed dresses - yeah, so you're not going to find these exact prints on the high street but ASOS are currently selling a long sleeved midi-length printed dress that has just shot up a few notches on my 'must-buy' list. Karen Walker's collection is even easier to replicate: I'm now on the look-out for a tailored denim dress with a neat little collar and a tapestry print midi skirt that I can throw a big cosy jumper on with.

Alice & Olivia have me thinking ahead to Christmas parties with devore printed skater skirts, rich jewel tones and printed little cropped jackets; whilst Theory and M. Patmos offer up contemporary ideas for office wear.

London's calling now; a whole different kettle of fish as I home in on striking prints and exciting colour combinations.

Karen Walker

Alice & Olivia

M. Patmos

Theory

A journey through Alberta

Take 7 photographers renowned for their awe-inspiring Instagram feeds and drop them off in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. The result? A breath-taking collection of images that you will scarcely believe were all taken on i-Phones. 

Click through onto the VSCO cam article to see the entire collection of images and to read the interview with organiser Alex Strohl.

Here we are now, entertain us

Long live the nineties. 

This love affair with my favourite decade doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast. Thank god, as me and a friend are starting an 80's/90's alt night in two weeks. I'm looking forward to sticking a bindi on my forehead, donning a grungy maxi dress and spinning some Pavement. I'm all for slouchy knitwear layered over ditsy prints, nonchalant beanies and woollen arm warmers. Let's bring arm warmers back - so practical and so grunge. 

Images: M.Missoni via Style.com

What I Would Wear to Fashion Week

I'm amusing myself this stormy afternoon by playing what would I wear if I went to fashion week. Obviously, as this is a fantasy game, money holds no boundaries and I am taking on the role of the most hideously pretentious fashionistas as I prepare my make-believe wardrobe for FROW posing and party-going.

Outfit one. Picture the scene, everyone is queuing up to get into the first show of the day. There's a crowd of editors, it-girls and models shivering, wrapped up in bulky coats and Acne Canada scarves, their noses becoming increasingly red. Just at the last minute, a taxi pulls up and I hop out, dressed ridiculously inappropriately for the weather, sans coat. My cute Carven sweatshirt gets approving nods, as my peers take in the starched white collar peeking over the neckline and the fun abstract print on my skirt. My Topshop leather backpack, chunky-meets-elegant heels and floppy hat complete the look. But it's when I settle down on the front row and whip off my sweatshirt to reveal the matchy-matchy coordinating shirt to the skirt that all of the pap's turn their lenses my way. Who's that girl, is the whisper on everyone's lips.

Outfit two. What else to wear to the Topshop Unique show but my favourite piece from their current collection. This printed shirt dress will be awesome for summer but I've worked it for the colder weather by layering a skinny Joseph roll neck underneath (ala Ganni AW14). My favourite sheepskin lined denim jacket adds an extra layer of warmth without being too bulky. I'm channelling the Suarez sisters (Nat and Dy) so a wide-brimmed hat and ankle boots are essentials for this nineties-meets-seventies aesthetic. All I'll have to do tonight is whip off the jumper as I head off from party to party. 

Outfit three. It's the last day of the shows and my feet are killing me from running back and forth across London. Thank god that sliders are this season's must-have shoes - these tartan Topshop shoes will give my feet a much needed rest. I'm feeling pretty minimal today, so I throw on my favourite Frame La Garcon distressed jeans and add a streamlined white Carven shirt with a pretty lace collar. An oversized Topshop Boutique masculine coat and camel hat complete the look. Sofia Coppola, eat your heart out, this is nonchalant Parisian dressing at its best.

COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK: GANNI

Favoured brand of super-hip Scandinavian bloggers, Ganni has recently started to make the rest of the fashion world stand up and take notice. 

Whilst their SS14 collection is all fresh colours, clean silhouettes and the print of the season (aloe vera leaves); the AW14 range that was presented at CFW takes on a bolder, more directional aesthetic.

We're looking to Russia (it was bound to happen soon, thanks to the onslaught of Russian street style darlings), without delving too far from the brand's Danish roots. The contemporary classic beanie hat is revamped in (hopefully faux) fur, worn with extravagant tapestry prints and decadent fabrics.

Pale blue and tangerine fluid separates look clean and minimal when paired with black masculine coats and simple court shoes. Androgynous elements meet feminine fabrics and prints to create highly wearable garments in what is the brand's strongest collection to date.

The styling tip that I'm aching to try out immediately? Wearing a simple thin black roll neck underneath absolutely everything. This wardrobe staple was layered with everything from printed v-neck blouses to cocoon coats and - my personal favourite - a loosely-fitted floral printed tunic dress.

TO TRAVEL

Provence

I've got the travelling bug. My feet are itchy. And all of those other clichés. I wanted to see new places this year. I love Berlin, but felt that I had done it to death over the past three years. It was time for a change, I was dreaming of far flung places in Canada, New Zealand and the North West coast of America. Places that my bank balance wouldn't stretch to. 

Well, I made a compromise. There are plenty of places right here in Europe that I have yet to visit. And there is a method of travelling that I have always wanted to try: inter-railing. Festival-booking, map-perusing and travel-blog-reading has led to the booking of two dream trips: one west and one east.

Trip 1: Eleven friends, Primavera festival and a scenic trip by TGV to get there. We arrive in Paris by Eurostar, spending just one night in the City of Love. Departing the next day by high-speed train, we will make our way to the romantic region of Provence; where we will spend a couple of days day-trippin' to Gorges du Verdon and vast lavender fields, wandering down narrow streets and eating fresh fruit and vegetables from the markets. And posing for photographs outside the ingenious bookshop (photographed below); obviously. We then travel on to Barcelona for four days of incredible music (Pixies, The National, Arcade Fire, Television, Mogwai), admiring the architecture and hanging out on the beach.

Trip 2: The ultimate dream trip by rail. Just me and Dave, adventuring across three countries that I have yet to step foot in. We begin in Budapest, where we will admire the castle, take a dip in a natural spa and drink ourselves silly in the ruins bars. Then on to Zagreb; exploring the city, sliding down sculptures in the Museum of Contemporary Art and visiting the nearby Plitvice Lake National Park (somewhere that I have always dreamt of). The final step on our whistle-stop tour will be the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. Here, we will hike up to the castle that overlooks Europe's smallest capital city, stroll over Dragon Bridge and take a day-trip to Lake Bled. To conclude our adventure, we are travelling back to Budapest for an extra two days in the city before flying home.

Summer can't come soon enough.

All photographs from my TRAVELS 2014 board on Pinterest

Budapest

 Ljubljana (and Lake Bled)

 Zagreb (and Plitvice)

Barcelona

DAYDREAMS

Bare legs, bare arms, damp hair drying in the heat of the sun. I am completely over winter now, counting down the days until a summer full of train travelling, festivals and exploring Europe. Zara's new campaigns have done nothing to ease my daydreaming; seemingly bypassing transitional spring scenes and skipping all the way ahead to flimsy dresses, short shorts, bare midriffs and backless tops. Whether you're a TRF bohemian gal or a mainline minimalist, the new campaigns will have you musing of sunnier days.

Zara TRF

Zara