luxe leather...

There are some key peices that come back year after year, some times reinvented but a lot of the time if the piece was strong enough it will stand alone and make as strong a statement as ever before. A leather skirt is one of these pieces. Leather is everywhere this year, in black, browns, creams and whites and beautiful burgundy. Leather can be pretty costly but I look at it as an investment. A good quality leather item is going to go the distance and once it is well looked after it will last for years to come.

About two years ago I found a leather jacket in Topshop and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it was in the lead up to payday and I just could not afford it. Maybe a day before payday I had a look online and discovered it had gone into the sale and sold out. I was devastated. I had tried it on and it was so lovely and promised myself I would buy it on payday and now it was gone. I checked online in all the stores but to no avail. I decided it was probably just not meant to be. Maybe a week later I was walking through Knightsbridge and was passing Topshop when out of the corner of my eye I spotted the jacket, one lonely jacket hanging on the end of a rail, not even on a hanger. I ran into the shop like a mad lady and prayed it would be in my size. It was! Now that is what I call meant to be. I bought it right there and then for half the original price. Bargain!!

This year I spotted a leather skirt in a shop in Melbourne. It was one of those days where I was just wandering about getting familiar with my new surroundings while searching for a job. I had previously tried on quite a few leather skirts before but found none of them fitted how I would like and if I was going to be paying a lot of money for one I needed to love it. I tried this skirt on and it fit like a glove. Perfect. I was in love, but again not a penny to my name. I got a job two days later and thought I'd go back and have another look at the skirt. When I got to the shop I could see huge sale banners plastered across the windows. Jackpot! They had the skirt, in my size and for less than half the price. If this keeps happening I'm going to have a considerable leather collection.

I love this skirt. I have worn it loads for work and it also looks fab with just a t-shirt or cosy jumper and tights and ankle boots. I want to get it cleaned so have found a leather specialist to do that for me as this is definitely something I want to be looked after.

Here are some more leather pieces I have found that I just love. A leather dress is definitely next on my leather list...

parka power...

It's parka season, Autumn in Europe and Spring in Australia and a parka is the perfect piece to have in your wardrobe to get you through. I have worn mine all winter here as Melbourne is a little milder than London so didn't need to invest in yet another winter coat and I don't plan on retiring it just yet. Paired with jeans and a cosy knit, or over shorts and a t-shirt, with a cute floral dress and some chunky tights, add some ankle boots and you really can't go wrong.

There are so many options out there now this really is the year of the parka. There are lots of different colours available from khaki hues to greys and blacks and browns and even a few brights out there too and if you want it to keep you going through winter you can even invest in something with a bit of thickness and warmth to it, or even better one with a removeable inner coat. mmmm cosy. Parkas come back year after year so don't be afraid to invest in something you really like.