Fairy Tale Part 2: That's Why It's Hotter Under the Water.

What little girl (or in some cases, boy) hasn't dreamt of being Ariel with her red locks floating around her while she swims up to that little hole that the light pours through, dreaming of the human man she loves?

Ok, maybe not.

But there's something so romantic and alluring about mermaids. Maybe it's the whole nothing-but-shells covering the breasts thing, but oh well.

So here's a few items that could build up a mermaid-inspired look:

  

 

1. Topshop Premium Skeleton Maxi Skirt, $125, as seen on Olivia Palermo.

Image from us.topshop.com

2. House of Harlow Fish Scale Platform Pumps, £225 @ Harvey Nichols

Image from harveynichols.com

3. D&G Sequinned Cropped Jacket, £585 @ Net-a-porter

Image from net-a-porter.com

4. Matthew Williamson Pre-Fall Collection 2011

Image from style.com

5. ASOS Suspender Cropped Corset Top, £30.

Image from asos.com 

And finally:

Little Mermaid
Message in a Bottle Necklace
by Disney Couture
£55 @ zentosa.com
(Image from zentosa.com)

And now for my favouritest scene from the Disney movie, with the rock, and the romance, and the splashing ocean, and the vocal, and ok, I'm sorry, I'll stop now:

For Part 1 of the Fairy Tale series of posts, click here.


Ciao for now,

Charlotte

Everything's Going Swimmingly

Perhaps it's a little counter-intuitive to do a swimwear post in the middle of March. But I'm an optimist and a planner and the combination of these traits means that I'm super-duper looking forward to my Summer holiday. The boyfriend and I have pretty much decided on what we want, but what we actually book will depend on how much money we can save between now and crunch-time.

One thing I can guarantee, though, is that swimsuits will be required. And there's no harm in looking, is there? Looking and imagining and fantasizing, that is.

Perhaps it's a little old-fashioned of me, but I don't believe there's a better swimwear designer out there than Esther Williams. Her vintage styles are so flattering and timeless - after all, she was the original poster girl for swimming. So for my holiday, an Esther Williams two-piece and a one-piece are on my 'to buy' list.

    

Images from modcloth.com

They are also available in plus sizes and are very reasonably priced. They're available at Modcloth, too.

If you're super-confident and have a body to die for (unfortunately not me), and a fairly formidable wallet (definitely not me), I love love love this Agent Provocateur swimsuit, available at Net-a-porter for £245.

Image from net-a-porter.com

I also love this Miu Miu 2-piece for its frilly girlishness. Again available at Net-a-porter, it's on sale for £145.

Image from net-a-porter.com

In general, I love the simplistic swimwear styles of Chloe and Melissa Odabash, or classic vintage styles which are available now at most high-street stores.

I'm a big fan of these from Topshop, which all retail for £26-£30:

      

   

Images from topshop.com

Ciao for now,

Charlotte

My Funny Valentine

Even though I'm in a nice, happy, committed relationship (please don't throw things at me), I'm somewhat ambivalent about Valentine's Day. My only specification is: Don't buy me a teddy bear holding a heart... So one ex-boyfriend got me a 2-year subscription to Vogue (amazing gift! Even if it did last longer than the relationship...) and another -due to the February weather - had a picnic on my bedroom floor with a blanket, a basket and all red and pink heart-shaped foods.

So, my point is that even though I'm a romantic (completely and utterly), and I love certain Valentine's hallmarks - like I have a huge thing for plain red heart-shaped balloons (pass the message on to my boyfriend!) - I don't really buy into Valentine's day. But I do like buying things.

So here's a little selection of items to show your appreciation for the L-word without being a total Hallmarkist.


I love... Jewellery

Find them here:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23


I love... Slogan Tees

Find them here:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


I love... Home Decor

Find them here:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

So show love some love!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte

Second Star to the Right

...and straight on 'til morning. If you don't recognise the above quote, shame on you! It is, of course, from Disney's version of Peter Pan. And, apart from being one of the greatest children's stories of all times, Peter Pan is important to me for another reason. 

The Peter Pan Collar.

Image from mediamanager.osu.edu

These are huge at the moment, and they've kind of sneaked up on us a little, with none of the fuss some other trends seem to demand (here's looking at you underwear-as-outerwear). So here's a compilation of some of the ones I've seen around. Enjoy!


From ASOS:



Images from asos.com


From Urban Outfitters:


      
Images from urbanoutfitters.co.uk


From Topshop:


    
Images from topshop.com


From Modcloth:


      
Images from modcloth.com




And finally, for those of you with a bigger budget, some designer options:

From top to bottom: Marc Jacobs at Net-A-Porter, Milly at Net-A-Porter, Marc Jacobs at Harvey Nichols, and, for him, YMC at Liberty London.
Images from net-a-porter.com, harveynichols.co.uk, liberty.co.uk

And finally finally, here's me hopefully doing the peter pan collar justice for a work night out lately. (I work with all guys so dressing up wasn't exactly on the cards.) The top is from Urban Outfitters and the shorts are my absolute favourites, from H&M.

Just remember, you can fly, you can fly, you can fly!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte