DARK COLOUR

At the beginning of each season, you have to decide which team you play for. This time is super easy - you're either a girly girl and go for the feminine trends, like pastels and mid-century inspired clothes, or you play for the opponent team. That means dark colours, punk style clothes and lots and lots of menswear. 

There's no need to tell you, which team I choose. I'm sure you already guessed. While browsing ASOS.com I saw this shirt dress and fell in love with its dark goth look, though I'm not sure it will work in my advantage, because of its loose straight cut. Either way, it will be perfect for the summer's end. 

BLUE JEANS

Happy to be able to wear jeans again ( after a while, summer shorts get boring) and I can't wait to put on an outfit that has at least two layers. With autumn trends in my mind, I wore a dark flower top with an army print bag from Zara and boyfriend jeans from ASOS.  

KITSCH ON THE BEACH

I like the idea of going to the beach, but once there I instantly loose my patience: it's way too hot and time seems to pass at different speed. All my friends love to tan, an activity which I find incredibly boring, therefore I act like a 5 year old hyperactive kid. You may wonder, why am I writing about swimsuits? Well, each year, I buy two or three new bathing suits (it doesn't make sense, I know). 

This season, the super kitsch 90s style swimsuits got my attention - flamingos, neon colors, roses, and penguins, what can you ask for more? So here there are, specially selected for you, the craziest and most funky swimsuits for the summer: 

1. American Apparel Stripe Tricot V Swimsuit

2. ASOS Flamingo Body Suit 

3. Freak of Nature Galatic Rose Body Suit

4. ASOS Blurred Floral Swimsuit 

5. ASOS Petite Exclusive Body in Flamingo Print

6. River Island Neon Pink Chevron Bandeau Swimsuit 

7. ASOS Penelope Floral Long Sleeve Crop Bikini Top

8. We Are Handsome Penguin Scoop Swimsuit

RETRO STYLE

When you want to wear something comfortable and fashionable, and you don't know exactly what, think of Jane Birkin. Her nonchalant style will instantly inspire you to create an effortless chic outfit. Choose an easy silhouette, like high waisted jeans and a basic white top. To finish the look add some subtle accessories like a gold ring or necklace. 

I'm wearing ASOS jeans, Gina Tricot shoes, vintage blouse, bag from Zara. 

CASUAL STYLE

We see in magazines carefully styled looks, which are incredibly fashionable, but let's face it - not practical. Since we can't wear everyday high heels, and especially strappy sandals in the middle of January, I decided to style a casual look, which is comfortable and at the same time stylish and fashion-forward. 

Pick your favourite pair of jeans and wear them with a classic white shirt, then add on top an edgy jacket. It can be whatever you fancy - an elegant black jacket, a tuxedo jacket, a bomber jacket, etc. To finish the look add some gold accessories, for a touch of sophistication. 

Jeans from ASOS, Jacket, and accessories from H&M, Boots from Mango. 

TREND CHALLENGE: BLACK AND WHITE

Less-is-more this spring.  We can all agree on that. And the unpretentious black & white trend definitely belongs in this category. Easy to wear and appropiate for most occasions, it can save you a lot of trouble if you don't know what to wear. It actually looks best when you keep it as a minimal as possible, and no one will blame you if you don't wear any accessories with it. Just make sure you go for a sharp structured silhouette, in order to avoid a boring look. Match a well-cut jacket with a fitted pencil skirt or get a structured top and wear it with skinny jeans. Make sure it's made of a good quality fabric, an essential rule when it comes to style a minimal outfit and that it looks good on you. I paired a black bodycon dress from French Connection with a voluminous white trench from Zara. If you want to go bold, finish the look with a neon bag.

If you like classic timeless pieces, the b&w trend should be on the top of your list this season. Get a pair of white jeans or trousers, that you can easily adapt to new trends. For example : Last year I bought the white pallazo pants and wore them with a mint green top. This time, I put on a striped shirt, which gave the entire look a fresh new perspective. You can also try matching them with a black V-neck blouse or with a black crop top and a jacket. 

There are infinite possibilities for styling the b&w trend and if you pick carefully, you can build a modern and glamorous wardrobe. You don't have to invest much in it, and rest assured the pieces you buy will not get out of fashion any time soon. 

Third look: top and jacket from H&M, leather skirt from ASOS.

ESPADRILLES

When was the last time you wore espadrilles? Most probably in the 90s. 

Neon pink and zebra print espadrilles from Stella McCartney, Washed out espadrilles from ASOS, multicolored from Zara, denim and stripes from ASOS, the ones on the left corner from Louboutin, and of course, the famous Chanel espadrilles. 

Yes, you guessed...espadrilles are cool again!

CANADIAN TUXEDO

My fascination for matching denim shirts with jeans started somewhere in 2010 when I bought my first denim shirt. I clearly remember why I got for: it was meant to match, at the time, my brand new beige harem pants.   It took a while to find the perfect blue wash and shape, but in the end I got an oversized light blue shirt. As for the denim-on-denim mania, it started by accident, during one of those "I-don't-know-what-to-wear" moments when you just grab the first thing you see from the closet. Even though the fashion rules were stricly against the "canadian tuxedo", the combination felt cool and comfortable. It had the je ne sais quoi feel, so I thought - "It can't be wrong".  

After three years, now I have a closet full of denim, and as I promised, I'm challenging Miss Britney for a "Who wore it better" duel:

As for the rules for wearing denim on denim without looking too retro, it's easy: you need to find a shirt and jeans that have a similar wash. If you're afraid you're gonna get it  wrong you can just wear a blue denim shirt with black or white jeans. 

This is post is submitted as part of the IFB Project. 

ASOS COMPETITION

My look got selected for the final round of a competition held by ASOS. If you have a few seconds to spare, I'd be super happy if you could vote for me! All you have to do is to click here and repin the picture. Ta-da! It takes half a second, I promise!

Thank you for the help! 

Photo credits: Alex Yvan

YEAR OF THE SNAKE

Nowadays, staying locked inside the house does not mean you are safe from shopping. But since a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes and since they were at a very good price, I decided to buy them. I guess   it also has to do with the fact that snake print is everywhere - they call it "the year of the snake" not only in the Chinese Zodiac, but in fashion too . You'll find snake prints on tops, skirts, pants, bags and especially shoes. These ones from London Rebel had a very cool turquoise color and I already pictured them paired with jeans and an oversized coat for spring. 

Now I just have to wait for spring...and the shoes to come. 

You'll find them here. 

WHITE DENIM

White jeans are not exactly the type of jeans you would want to wear during winter. But since I can only think of spring I decided not to wait any longer and wear them! I paired them with a vintage denim vest (the one with the white and blue stripes) and a black leather jacket and boots (as a reminder spring is not yet here). 

I'm wearing Zara leather jacket and bag, ASOS boots, Mango jeans, H&M belt and vintage denim top.

BLACK AND WHITE STRIPES

The black and white stripes trend seen this season at: Marc Jacobs, Balmain, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta. 

It's funny to talk about it as the new trend in fashion, when in fact there's nothing new about it. "Invented" by Coco Chanel almost 100 years ago, the striped top is now a classic. I would say it's one of the must-haves for this spring. It will also be a good investment piece, since it will not go out of fashion. 

I got mine from Zara and the leather skirt is from ASOS. 

SIMON PREEN

While browsing the ASOS Marketplace I found this super sexy collection from Simon Preen, a London-based designer. It caught my eye because it has a unique design, with minimal shapes and a strong gothic influence. I also love that it's edgy and sexy, without being too girlie. 

Below, there's a behind the scenes lookbook video and you can buy his collection online from ASOS Marketplace and Stud&Stud ( I got my mind set on this long black dress). 

Photo source: http://www.simonpreen.com/

SHOE OF THE YEAR

Not sure if they were new in or last collection (not on sale for sure), but they sold out in like 5 seconds! If earlier on I was debating if they are cool or not, now I hope they will be back on stock pretty soon! 

The shoes are from ASOS. 

PS- This year, ugly is the new beautiful, when it comes to shoes! 

Update - They are back in stock!! 

BLACK AND GOLD

Minus something degrees outside and you end up wearing almost the same stuff everyday. Oh you can't really tell from the pictures how cold it is? Yeah. It's freezing! So I'm basically wearing all the time a fur coat, skinny jeans and a sweater. Last winter I used to wear a lot of jackets on top of other jackets: for instance I was wearing my leather jacket and my fur coat on top of it, but this year I just feel too comfortoble to go again for that combo. 

Find a similar fur coat here and here ,and  the ASOS boots here. 

Photography Alex Yvan

CROP TOPS

This summer is all about abs, so you'd better start working on them from now if you want to wear some crop tops. A massive hit back in the 90s, the crop top had a come back last summer, and I feel this year it will become the season's big fashion hit. Yes, it will take some courage to go out again wearing just a small top, but fashion is all about taking risks, right? I'm not sure yet which one to choose, but I know a crop top will look amazing with a high-waisted skirt for a beach holiday or with a jacket and pants for a casual city look.

Navy Blue crop top from ASOS (on the right) Panel Mesh crop top from Topshop (down left) and on top the White crop top  also from Topshop.

On the left - ASOS crop shirt  and the colored crop top find it here. 

photo source: style.com, pinterest, topshop.com. asos.com/ collage by me