We Are The Kids Now

If I can wear kids' stuff, you can, too. And don't let them tell you not to.

Ever since I started browsing girls's clothes to give my niece the gift of extra coolness, I've been flirting with the idea of filling a shopping basket there.

Interestingly enough, this affair also started with a gift I received - a voucher, to be exact. I popped into continental cheap & chic C&A but seemed to find nothing that sort of had my name on it. But only until I wandered there long enough to spot their best-kept secret, the girls' line.

Among about a dozen different designs of retro-style graphic jersey dresses, I settled for this one with spots and button detail. I love to layer up for winter but find it quite hard to do with style, so you can imagine my joy when I bumped into a rack of soft cotton biker jackets.

Now, about sizing. The A-line minidress was a perfect fit in my size (158cm/5'2"), but since dress sizes go all the way up to 176cm (5'9"), you can't say this candy store is only open to kids and petites. As for the biker, I did not want or need a proper jacket, only a layering alternative of a warm, snug little cardi, so I went down a whole dual size (to 146/152) to get the right fit. Going down a couple of sizes when needed is a kind of heaven in itself, something I can only do in the kids' corner. Now for the layering story - just peek below.

retro dress: C&A, ankle boots: Asos,
ribbed elastic long-sleeve tee: charity shop

dress and soft biker cardigan: C&A,

ankle boots: Asos, mini-satchel: H&M

Stuff I Get Away With: Denim Shorts

I've had these black metallic weave denim shorts by Zara for quite a while, but I can't remember being out and about in them at all. So, one of the still half-chilly mornings I thought, what better way to wake that rebel spirit than a bit of smartness injected right into its opposite, as usual.

This season, jumpers are key, whether smart like this fine-knit thing by H&M, or the kind of sweat top with some huge cartoon character or animal motif, try and work them - or, as in my case, re-work them - into your wardrobe.

This shorts-and-jumper combo looks its best with a printed shirt and tights. For some reason, plain pieces just don't seem to mould into the right outfit these days...

Finally, the more legs you show, the more self-conscious you tend to be wearing heels, so I suggest flats or your lowest block heels for an easy, natural look. Here I'm wearing velvet Anglomania-style flat ankle boots to increase the fun factor, but simple knee-high pull-ons, lace-ups, calf-length boots or something very plain combined with knee (or over-the-knee) socks should work just as well with shorts.

p.s. I got away fine with this outfit but won't be pushing my luck...

Jumper and shirt: H&M, shorts: Zara (TRF), tights: New Look, boots: Shellys

Give Lace A Chance

I never thought  I would ever wear anything you could remotely classify as a bodycon dress, let alone a lace bodycon dress. I looked on all-over lace dresses as in-your-face and try-hard, for girls who want to be ladylike and sexy, thinking they are being subtle about it.

Still, a certain Erdem dress in navy lace with a nude underlay caught my eye sometime in the last warm season. Somehow, it seemed simpler and just a bit edgier than any other lace dress, almost a natural choice, to wear instead of a shift dress or a LBD. It got me wondering... So, when I saw this petite exclusive dress on asos.com, I thought it was time to give lace a chance and see what happens.

I kept it simple, as usual. First, to enhance the spring/summer feel of freshness, I chose chunky-heeled but still delicate nude leather platforms - they don't distract from the general colourway, and do a bit of leg-lengthening as a plus. To accessorise, a suede clutch bag seemed just appropriate (instead of black, you could go for nude or pearl grey or some other colour, as long as it's a classic style and about this size). The only piece of jewellery I'm wearing is a fine gold bracelet, but a really delicate gold necklace with a tiny locket or  something along that line should look right too.

Next, since I really liked the dress on (it's not too tight or clingy as I thought it might be), I knew I wanted to give it a go at work, hence the second outfit. Here, I added black opaque tights to avoid having to explain I'm in fact not naked underneath the dress; a pair of this winter's staple ankle boots, and a navy velvet blazer for a boxier look and the extra warmth.

Dress: ASOS, nude platforms: Mango, boots: ASOS, suede clutch: Mum's stuff
from the early 1980s, velvet blazer: Zara

Happy Anniversary

They won't stop me. Neither the long day at work, nor the long evening with family and friends. Or sleep deprivation. Or a sore throat. I want to celebrate the second anniversary of GreyCatte's Book Of Style, and the second birthday of GreyCatte as a blogger.

The start of the second year was perfect - I had all the time in the world for about two months - from late winter well into spring - to dedicate to this brainchild. Now, as another year ends, I have all but missed London Fashion Week. This must change. And so it will.

The last outfit I wore and took a few snaps of too was this one, a cute and comfy dress in navy and toffee by Miss Selfridge. It's very 1970s, but in a simple and clean way, giving me the chance to subtly complement it with some winter platforms, then go a bit overboard with a floppy hat.

I have the same boots, the Dr. Martens Darcie, in tan as well, but the black embossed ones, with black tights, were the ones that felt right. But that's OK - the mock croc rich brown classic shoulder bag manages to push it back a bit towards paired-back OTT.

Dress: Miss Selfridge, boots: Dr. Martens, hat: New Look,
bag: TK Maxx

Little Red Dress

I've been wanting to get an LRD for some time now, but I couldn't quite decide between the smarter, tailored ones (you know, clean vertical seams, little buttons or bows, tulip shape, straight line, no stretch), or the more relaxed types like skater, or the not-too-smart A-line, sleeveless, short or three quarter sleeved - and who knows what else. I only knew it should not have any contrast details.

Finally it came to me that I very rarely wear red because it's so in-your-face, a constant reminder that you're walking the very wildest of the wild side (at least, that's what it feels like). Now, if you choose a really smart dress, you will want to wear it for smart occasions, but the colour will stop you in the last minute of every attempt. So, you will end up not wearing it at all. If you're like me, make sure you pick a strictly neutral or somewhat relaxed piece that you can just pop on and go, and have fun with dressing it up or down. That way, the dress will sooner or later find a way to take you for a walk.

This shift dress by Asos is in ponte, which is a lot more easier to wear than plain or even textured cotton, which tends to crinkle somewhat while hanging in the wardrobe, very badly when on, and worse during washing. Ponte is not smart, and not considered a quality fabric, but boy, it's made for wearing - and that's just what it'll do.

How to wear your block colour dress

In four ways, basically. Classic Contrast: pick one colour to complement red in a classic way, say, cream, biscuit, white, camel, or black. Wear opaque tights and a top or blouse in that colour. Then, you can choose to match your shoes to your opaques for a leg-lengthening, paired-back effect, or create a contrast  by wearing red shoes (loafers or Mary Janes) and turn into Little Red Riding Hood.

Next, you can go for Bold Colour Blocking, and mix & match primary or jewel colours... red with electric blue, emerald green with yellow, orange with teal. If you want to tread cautiously at first, accessorise with a flash of colour, a scarf, a bag, or a belt. If, like me, you are drawn to trying the Total Blocking, combine pieces in similar colours in a single outfit and go all red, blue, mustard or green. To finish the look, I chose a navy and blue coat when I could have gone with berry, which reminds me: do draw the line somewhere.

Dress: Asos, long sleeved top, heeled loafers and coat: New Look, tights: Calzedonia

And four is Minimal, for when you prefer the little red dress to do all the talking: bare legs or sheer tights, ankle boots and socks. As zips are big for both autumn/winter and spring/summer, and apparently, this dress doesn't have any, choose a minimal cover-up with some prominent zips. Mine is a loose, ribbed fine-knit cropped cardi with collars, but a boxy cropped blazer with extra large buttons should make the look even more office-friendly if that's what you're after.

Dress: Asos, zip cardi: S. Oliver, 60s ankle boots: Asos, socks: Falke