It’s been a while since we’ve had a decent red carpet situation, and at the ‘Teen Choice Awards’ last night the younger generation of Hollywood donned some frocks that, at their age, they really shouldn’t have access to (back in the good old days you had a Tammy Girl dress and would be thrilled with it). But they did rock them, it has to be said. They even showed up some red carpet veterans such as Fergie and Tyra Banks, who looked mildly ridiculous in their attempts to be down-with-the-kids. Other stars clinging on to their “yoof” included Bilson and Lively (turned up, looked amazing, job done), and Deeley and Diaz (working the pins and golden tans). The board was swept by Bieber and Gomez, a.k.a. Hollywood’s Prom King & Queen, and the lovely Taylor Swift. Seriously, no one else needn’t have bothered turning up (slight exaggeration – Kris Jenner Kardashian Jenner needed to parade her cash cows in front of the paps). Take a look here at the winners; at least justice was done in the form of my beloved Gossip Girl getting a nod. My favourite winner was Justin Bieber who was given the ‘Choice Twit’ award… I think they were trying to be all clever and Twitter-related, but ended up being unwittingly right on the money.

{images via prphotos}
Who was the red carpet winner for you?

It’s the end of the week, my friends! Do you have any plans? Not only do I have a weekend of meeting up with friends for brunches and lunches and picnics (oh my!), but from today I’m happily moving on from my current job to pastures new. Once those pastures are identified I can update you, but for the time being it’s all a little unknown… and I actually like the sound of that. Without sounding too ‘New Age’, things have a funny way of working out for the best. Whatever happens I very much hope that I can use my creative side in my next role, as there’s only so much true creativeness you can bring to corporate events. I would love to write more too! We shall see what happens. Onwards and upwards.
Before I get too deep, I will swiftly move on to my Friday post. Now, if you’ve got an interest in the latest interior trends, then you can’t have helped but notice the leather Moroccan pouffes that are appearing in all manner of rooms like a home decor version of ‘Where’s Wally?’. They are incredibly versatile and can be used as extra seating, as coffee tables with trays placed on them, or just simply as decoration. I have a soft spot for the metallic ones, I have to say… I’m wondering if my boyfriend would notice if I slipped one into our sitting room as a foot rest. Far chicer than bean bags that were all the rage in the 90s; I had a particularly special ‘My Little Pony’ number. Yep, I just said that out loud. They kinda remind me of giant macaroons (just me?), adding pops of colour and an exotic edge. I have a feeling this could be a bit of a Marmite trend – do you love them or hate them? And is it pouffe or pouf?!

{images via pinterest}

{1. Graham & Green / 2. Bohemia / 3. Bohemia / 4. Yellow Sunrise}
Now, I won’t harp on this, but you may have noticed the oh-so-subtle addition to my left side bar. That’s right, it’s Cosmo Blog Awards time again, and if you happened to click on this link, and if you happened to nominate {what you fancy} in the ‘Lifestyle’ category, then it would equal one extremely chuffed blogger.
Just sayin’ 😉
My look of the week is awarded to Leslie Mann, who is grouped alongside Kristen Wiig in the ‘would be my best friend if I met her’ category. Adore her. Anyway, I also love a bit of Marchesa, and this dress has just the right amount of sparkle and is perfectly complimented by a red lip and an up-do. My room of choice goes to a mint living room that gives off a very refined yet relaxing vibe. The pops of fuchsia and dark wood completely make it:

{images via prphotos & decorpad}
I hope you have a beautiful weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

So, the lovely reminders from Mulberry that they have brand spanking new arrivals continue to pop up in my inbox, like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, why wouldn’t I want to drool over the new and improved Tillie in Midnight Croc Print Suede? Conversely, I don’t really have a spare £895 to throw at it. Or even £270 for that amazing Bright Cabbage (Cabbage? C’mon Mulberry, surely you can think of something more appealing than that) Postman’s Lock Continental Wallet. It’s the green beauty below, if you were wondering. But still, I will happily cruise their site whenever their marketing emails tell me to, whilst stroking my beloved tan Bayswater in the manner of a James Bond villain and their cat. All the while hoping that one day my numbers come up:

{all products available at Mulberry}
By the way, what are your thoughts on the ‘Carter’, the latest Mulberry It bag?

Welcome to August! I hope you all had lovely weekends – did you get up to anything exciting? I had a blissful time in the country, indulging in activities that I just don’t get to do living in London; for example, driving around in the sunshine, windows down, listening to summery tunes… absolutely love it. The weekend involved lots of my favourite people, delicious food, beautiful weather, and a late-night karaoke session. Brilliant.
As my summer holiday at the beginning of September draws nearer, I’m realising that my summer wardrobe is distinctly lacking in all areas. In fact over the weekend my beloved sandals finally gave up after we’d spent a fun-filled three years together, and there’s only so many outfit combinations you can get out of two dresses. I need to hit the shops BADLY, although I’m not a great shopper on the high street – I would much rather take the gamble and order online, where there aren’t hoards of slow walkers and horrendous changing room lighting (seriously when I shop, the most venomous creature emerges, it’s frightening). Following on my last packing guide (see here), here are some items that would be perfect for a country jaunt. And since we’re talking about an English summer, probably best to stick some Hunter wellies and a brolly in your case too for those inevitable rainy days:

{images via pinterest}

{1. Dorothy Perkins floral ruffle dress – £24 / 2. Oasis Mia denim jacket – £50 / 3. New Look link necklace – £5 / 4. Alexander Wang by Linda Farrow Projects wayfarer sunglasses – £138.50 / 5. John Lewis suede brogues – £65 / 6. Essie Haute as hello – £9.95 / 7. Topshop multi bloom swimsuit – £30 / 8. Monsoon daffodil pleat skirt – £38 / 9. Ri2K large straw tote – £59 / 10. Oasis dragonfly print tunic – £45 / 11. Topshop Peter Pan top – £26 / 12. Topshop natural wide brim boater – £22 / 13. Oliver Bonas kingfisher bangle – £14 / 14. Matalan linen shorts – £5}

Hurray for weekends, especially when they involve escaping to the country. I’m a country girl at heart (I spent my teenage years mucking out stables – I know, it was all glamour back then) and I jump at any opportunity to enjoy some time out of busy London life. I’m really looking forward to sitting in my mum’s sunny English country garden, as well as catching up with friends back home and their adorable children. Oh and there’s another Royal wedding! Perhaps not on the same scale as this one, but there’ll be photos of Zara’s dress and general style, as well as guests’ outfits, and that’s good enough for me. I’m easily pleased.
Speaking of weddings, there seems to be a new “it” accessory, and it comes in the form of a humble glass jar. The aqua-coloured mason jars are more of an American thing (not even sure if you can buy them here in the UK, sadly), but jars in general are being used for everything, from lighting to flowers to favours. And it doesn’t stop at weddings… they’re a way of storing and displaying items that’s far more appealing than throwing them haphazardly into a random drawer never to be seen again, or in a grimy Tupperware box. The brighter the contents, the more attractive the clear jars look – especially when there’s cake involved. There’s something about that final image that makes me incredibly happy. What do you think? Does this inspire you to get creative with jars?

My look of the week goes to one of my favourite style crushes, Mila Kunis, wearing one of my favourite labels, Elie Saab. Mila’s been hitting the promo circuit pretty hard with JT (I definitely want to catch Friends With Benefits) and, as always, has been looking flawless. The Grecian-inspired look she went for at the Moscow premiere is perfection on her, as was the white Louis Vuitton dress she donned on the same trip. For my room of the week, I couldn’t resist this bright bedroom, filled with light, fresh flowers and an abundance of patterns. Simply beautiful:

{images via prphotos, Real Simple & Pinterest}
I hope you have a perfect weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…