Fashion Dress in The Present: Personal Style

Hey hey lovelies! Happy hump day!

Every festive season, our neighbouring town of Winchester hosts a huge Christmas market in its Cathedral grounds, complete with ice skating rink, gift stalls and delicious seasonal treats. Oli and I hopped straight on the bandwagon when the market opened this season, and spent a gorgeous icy afternoon pottering around.

When it comes to dressing for the Christmas season, I am all for a little extra sparkle, novelty and fun. Christmas jumpers have their wonderful place, but there are other ways to easily nod to the festive cheer, whilst investing in pieces which will see you past December 25th.

Starting with great jeans will always make for an understated, stylish outfit. I opted to wear my new Diesel Doris jeans with a faux fur jacket, a couple of borrowed pieces from Oli, and a suitably festive beauty look, for our trip to the Christmas market. I felt comfortable, cosy, and just the right amount of merry.

Rings: Feather & Stone c/o

Warning this is a big picture post!

Read on for a tonne more snaps of our lovely afternoon, and my thoughts on Diesel's latest jean style . . .

I have been wearing Diesel jeans for years now, and can wholeheartedly attest to their quality. I like a jean with a mid-rise waistband, which has a touch of elastane in the fabric mix to keep the shape over washes. I have a generous bum and hips, and the Doris style, which I am wearing here, fits a treat. I would advise sizing up if you’re uncomfortable in skin tight jeans - the Doris lives up to its super skinny claim!

Currently I am trying to convince Oli that now is the time to buy our Christmas tree. I mean if we leave it much longer they’ll probably all be gone . . . ! Right?!!

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Have an awesome day all!

Love,

MB x

This post was created in collaboration with Diesel. Thank you for supporting The Elgin Avenue’s sponsors.

Blue Accents | NYC

With all the short-haul flights I've taken this year - and the prerequisite accompanying hand luggage only - I’ve become pretty savvy at packing light. Perhaps you'll understand my excitement then at the prospect of a long-haul flight with hold luggage for NYC! Packing heavy?! Bring. It. On.

Before Ols and I left for New York, I hunted around for NY-appropriate items. I wanted to look polished, and felt that if any city was deserved of dressing up, it's New York. One store in particular came up trumps: Karen Millen. Seriously, A/W perfection! If you haven’t visited Karen Millen recently, get yourself in to a store, or online, pronto. Karen Millen have been repositioning themselves for the past few years, and I feel they’ve come full circle. They are rocking it.

Some of my favourite Karen Millen pieces right now include the much coveted sleeveless coat, this sassy disco blazer and this snake print dress, all of which came with me to NY. Each of these pieces are easy mix n’ match items, and come in colours which are both fun and Winter friendly. Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post, I’m just genuinely head over heels for Karen Millen right now! Total #BrandCrush.

If you should find yourself in London soon, you MUST visit the Karen Millen Brompton St store. The recently revamped space is one of my favourite destination stores in London. The interiors are beautiful, and totally remind me of what a shopping experience should be - luxe but not alienating. The Brompton St store also hosts a fabulous Karen Millen Atelier where you can have certain Karen Millen items custom made, or customised. I was lucky enough to become the proud owner of one of the Brompton clutch bags which was custom dyed in an evergreen hue for me. Unfortunately the clutch service is no longer available however there are new customisable items per season, and I can whole heartedly attest to the Atelier’s quality.

OK so Karen Millen fan-girling aside. I wore this grey and blue look on our penultimate date in New York. Oli and I walked from Soho, across the Williamsburg bridge, and on into Brooklyn. The day was perfectly sunny and the wind was cuttingly cold. I honestly felt SO invigorated by our entire time in NYC, I was just grinning like a madwoman most of the time. Given that it was so freezing on our visit, and we were walking every where, I ended up wearing my Nike trainers, and the sleeveless gray Karen Millen jacket most days.

Yes, despite the large hold luggage allowance.

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