Looking back - 11 favourite style moments of 2011

1. Most LOVED bag - PS1

2. Ones to watch - Elizabeth Olsen (above), Cara Delevinge, Chloe Moretz and Dakota Fanning
3. Statement nails - crackled, glittered and magnetised

4. Stacked friendship bracelets - favourites from Gina Stewart Cox

5. Sarah Burton's design for the royal wedding

6. Anna Dello Russo
7. Hold on - the way we carried our bags
8. Most worn - Equipment Shirts

9. We got the glow - the launch of BB creams brightened our complexions

10. Statement skirts in brights or printed (keep for SS 12!)

11. Arizon Muse and her power brows

Here's to a stylish 2012... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Style it Out - Pregnancy Style - my top 10 tips

J Brand Maternity jeans at Net-a-Porter

The floor sweeping maxi at Mother Blossom and Child

The drapey jersey tops at Hatch by Twobirds

The oversized cuff at Freedom Premium at Topshop

Yes you can use the words pregnant and stylish in the same sentence!

So having recently had a little girl Minnie, I have decided my next few blog entries will tackle the world of pregnancy fashion, the dos and don'ts, plus my go to labels for the most stylish mums.

DOs
1. In the first trimester it is all about camouflage - this is not the time to get overzealous about buying stretchy jersey pieces - that comes later.
2.For now its all about a-line shapes in drapey fabrics like silk, jersey and loose knits.
3. Invest in good fabrics - as these will be the items you can wear after the baby arrives to disguise the post baby blubber and easily breast feed in.
4. Highlight legs, decolletage and arms, in particular wrists - these will be unaffected by weight gain at this point and draw attention away from the tummy.
5. This is where accessories come into their own - refer to my previous blog Bump it up! http://pennybennett.blogspot.com/2011/07/bump-it-up.html
6. Go for neutral colours that can be mixed and matched for longevity. Your accessories will make your outfit pop
7. Think about proportion; if your top is voluminous your bottom half should be narrow

DONTs
8. Avoid highlighting the waist (you will find that it is disappearing anyway!) Which means ditch any belted items or high waisted styles.
9.Don't raid your partners wardrobe and his old baggy shirts - tailoring is key and will highlight your shape
10. Don't forget to have fun with your pregnancy style - this is such a special time for a woman and you should make the most of your beautiful bump.

KEY PIECES (pics above)
1.Maternity jeans in a style to flatter you whether it be straight skinny or boot cut in dark indigo denim
2. A-line tops
3. Empire line or trapeze dress, go for a dark neutral colour or a beautiful print that will distract the eye to what is underneath
4. A floor sweeping dress will elongate the body. Summer is a great time to be pregnant as you can stock up on maxi dresses
5. Black leggings, practical and comfortable and easy under jumper dresses
6. Long line tops in drapey jersey
7. Stretchy pencil skirt, perfect for work with wedges or on the weekend with boots
Accessories
8. Put your dainty fine jewellery to the bottom of the box, invest in pendant necklaces, cuffs and cocktail rings
9. Flats are great for running around in but invest in wedges that will give you extra height, balance the bump but still offer support
10. Supportive underwear is essential. Your body is changing so get measured by a professional. Underwear is the foundation of any outfit and should not be overlooked

Go to labels

• Acne and COS are two labels I was able to find great pieces that weren't maternity but worked with a bump
• Blossom Mother and Child
• Isabella Oliver
• Seraphine maternity
• ASOS maternity
• Mama la Mode
• Hatch by Twobirds
• Most highstreet stores offer a maternity range but use the tips above to scour the non-maternity ranges and vintage stores and rock something totally original.

The £9.99 miracle BB cream

Its hard not to believe the marketing but there are a lot of products out there that fall short of their promises. But Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One B.B. Blemish Balm cream really is brilliant. And not just because it is 10 pounds, but it actually works. Glowing complexion, check...evenness, check...soothing, check. On the days I couldn't be bothered with a full face of makeup this is genius. And people have complimented me on my glowy complexion.

Good for people who are used to the coverage of tinted moisturiser and want a glowy no-makeup look for day. Great for new mum's as it allows you to skip the moisturiser step and blends really easily.

Not so good for people who are used heavier coverage or need to cover pigmentation or have darker skin.

Other products using BB (blemish balm) technology to smooth and condition the skin

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, £25

Dior Diorsnow UV shield BB cream, £58

Other highstreet heroes...
Elnett Hairspray
Simple Kind to Eyes eye makeup remover
Batiste dry shampoo
Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush
Max factor False Lash Effect Fusion mascara

Loreal Youth Code Youth booster serum

LFW Diary SS12 + trend alerts for SS12

Topman

Erdem

Anna Dello Russo in that Prada coat

Antonio Berardi

sass + bide

Friday, 16 September

1545 meet my LFW BFF Emily for iced coffee roadside at Cafe Rouge. Talk about our fashion week strategy and outfits and decide flats will be the only option for Monday's schedule and the only option for me with 4 weeks til baby!
1605 baby is kicking in anticipation for the Sass & Bide show to start.
1610 spotted front row Paloma Faith, Poppy Delevigne, Peaches Geldof, Hilary Alexander (who gives Paloma a big hug on seeing her).
1615 show opens with neon burst. Bright chockers clashed with head-to-toe prints (TREND ALERT) and block colours, vibrant blues and citruses, that you could see wearing to drink cocktails at Icebergs, Bondi. Sexy, sassy and fluid
1640 the girls take final bow, Heidi Middleton scooping up her Shirley-Templed-haired fash baby... Cute.

Saturday, 17 September
Putting family before fashion today and missing Henri Holland but secretly hoping to make Jonathan Saunders tonight
7.15 getting texts from LFW BFF saying they are having drinks and the Saunders show is running late... Can I still make it??
7.45 traffic herrendous and no chance of getting west for the show.
8.05 reading the twitter feed, the show gets a standing ovation. Gutted I wasn't there.

Sunday, 18 September
9.30 way to early for the bump and I to be out of bed but I roll out, literally, and get dressed.
11.15 I am running late but so is the Richard Nicoll show. Chatting to a lady in the queue who attended Saunders last night and said it was her favourite so far. Salt on the wound.
11.28 the venue is to capacity and the rest of the people in the queue get turned away including me. Bad organisation! Go to Konditor and Cook and console myslef with a hot choc and coffee cake.

Monday, 19 September
Only made 1 show out of 5 so far, but today is going to be a great day.
9.55 arr at Antonio Berardi
Get fash-papped by Vogue Nippon which makes my week. They assured me it wasn't a sympathy shot for the pregnant lady!
10.23 just before the show starts fashion royalty, Anna Dello Russo arrives in sequin palette Prada coat. Amazing.
10.27 girls walk out in Berardi's signature tailoring with a twist; jackets cut out backs, futurist fabric inlays and panelled sleeves. The side pleat trousers are to die for and deserve a place in every working womans wardrobe. High neck chiffon dresses with cascading trains worn with sequin leggings were a beautiful contrast to the signature tailoring. A glorious palette of mint, pastel pink (pink suiting TREND ALERT), red maroon, and evening black.
11.05 decide to miss Pringle, too much of a rush and opt for long lunch at Da Polpo. So delicious.
I have a look at the Burberry “live tweeted” show where photos were posted of each look on Twitter moments before the model stepped on to the catwalk… Quite a turn around from the days when the public had to wait to see what would be in the stores in 6 months time.
1.45 make our way to Savoy ballrooms the perfect setting for the divine Erdem collection.
2.35 Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner plays and the girls walk out in light as a cloud lace trench coats, floor length florals, lace shirts and floral pencil skirts, floral dresses with sequin overlay and beaded detailing, off the shoulder lace dresses all in a pastel yellows (TREND ALERT), muted blue greys. Loved the boater hats, soft high ponytails and lace gloves.
15.05 Erdem takes his bow and the crowd cheer

Wednesday, 20 September
12.25 Waiting for Topman to start. Love attending the mens shows and checking out the super stylish London men. As is the way with LFW, the fashion parade begins as soon as you reach the venue and boy do the men of london know how to put on a show! Trousers cropped or rolled just so to expose colourful socks and showcase the shoe, predominantly brogues, seems to be the look du jour. Some fabulous casual outerwear; coloured trenches with the collar popped, heritage tweeds, fringed leather jackets and fur. Shirts buttoned high and hair quiffed or cropped.
12.50 spot Nick Grimshaw, Alex Zane, Philip and Chloe Green on the front row.
I love this collection! The celine inspiration is obvious; pyjama style trousers and relaxed silk shirting in muted prints pay hommage to Phoebe Philo's SS11 collection. Super short shorts worn with knits and skinny, waisted double breasted suits in navy.
These are clothes that your girlfriend would steal from your closet. A lovely finish to fashion week.

How to pack like a pro in 15kg or less +

There is nothing more frustrating than reaching the check-in desk to find out that your luggage is over weight and you are about to pay a bit fat fine (spending money that could have used to buy a not-on-the-high-street holiday treasure). And no batting of your freshly tinted eyelashes is getting to get you out of it either. Not the best start to your holiday.

As the budget airlines get stricter about weight restrictions it is time to learn the secrets of the holiday capsule wardrobe. The trick is to wear your heaviest pieces on the flight (no belts or fiddly strappy sandals that will slow you down at security) and pack versatile beach to bar cover ups and accessories. Your makeup should be minimal, a fabulous bronzer, tinted moisturizer and wow lipgloss will see you through. And invest in a kindle; I am old fashioned and I love a book but it is time to get strict. Light weight doesn't have to mean light on style.

Here are the contents of my luggage on my recent trip to Propriano in Corsica for 7 days
The basics

The Basics
7 pairs of undies
3 bras (you can wear your bright bikini tops under tees and dresses)

The Pieces
1 white button-up (You can wear it long over jean shorts, as a cover over your swimmers)
5 bikinis/one piece
2 tees (soft modal tshirts are nice to sleep in.”)
6 dresses (including 3 kaftans that work for cocktail hour)
1 pair of denim cutoffs (Go vintage or J Brand)
1 long crotchet cardigan
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of wedge espadrilles (They go with everything and make your legs look long)

The Extras
1 straw or panama hat
1 pair of sunglasses
1 printed scarf that can double as a sarong or head scarf
1 cuff
I Kindle

The Beauty
1 toiletry bag
Cleanser
Tinted moisturizer with sunscreen (Estee Lauder's skin matching TM is brilliant)
Mascara
Lip balm
Blush (Benetint is great and can double as a lip colour)
Bronzer (i love Guerlain)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Deodorant
Factor 30 + After sun body lotion
Hair bands
1 headband
Shampoo and conditioner (Kerastase sun collection will protect your tresses from looking crispy)

TOTAL WEIGHT: 13.6kg

The new skirt length + my top 5 tips on how to wear it

Long have pencil skirts been relegated to the workwear wardrobe but this understated & sexy skirt is now making a come back, most notably, thanks to Marc Jacobs. But this time, we are not talking about the knee length pencil skirt in synthetic fabrics. This season the pencil skirt is reaching new lengths; 1 to 4 inches below the knee to be precise.

The Times magazine on Saturday 6th did a fabulous feature on the new length for the season, the BTK (below the knee). But it takes a bit of working out to get the proportions just so. As a huge fan of the BTK length, I thought I would give you my top tips on how to wear the new length. N.B This is NOT a style for heel-phobes, as a super high sexy shoe is mandatory!

If you are petite... the skirt should sit just below the knee, where the calf goes in, and no longer. Your outfit should be tonal, that is the skirt, tights and shoes should be in the same colour and your top in a slightly lighter version. This will stop the skirt from making you look short.

If you have long legs...This is a fabulous length for you so play around with the length so that the hemline hits the area of your calf that is most flattering to you.

If you have shorter legs... This is not your best style but if this is your dream skirt and a style you want to try then go for a high waisted version and follow the same principles as I have given for petites above.

If you have very slim calves... the length of the hem will inevitably draw attention to your calves. Balance the slimness of your calves with an ankle strap heel and lighter coloured tights or ankle socks and heels

If you have cankles... sorry not a very glamourous expression but for those of you whose calves and ankles blend into the foot, you must slim the leg with platform heels and opaque tights. The skirt length is very important and should not be longer than an inch below the knee.

Style it with...

Shirt Blouse

Pointy Slingbacks

Cocoon coat (this seasons new shoulder shape)

Pencil skirt from Topshop

If you have more questions about how to wear this new length, get in touch.

September Issue

The arrival of the September issue is the official start to the new season.

The new season means new ad campaigns and new girl crushes. The campaigns I am loving...

• Hailee Steinfeld for Miu Miu
• Elle fanning for Marc by Marc Jacobs
• Natalia V for Stella McCartney
• Kate Bosworth for Vanessa Bruno