Linea x Style Guile

Linea Ava longline coat (£165)

Who remembers when Linea first arrived on the scene? I'm going to show my age now by saying that I do! I remember the rails of clothes in House of Fraser containing sleek items. It was way before the days that Birmingham had Jigsaw, Hobbs, Whistles or anything other than M&S and a small Topshop. Linea felt sophisticated, fresh and modern and it definitely offered something different. I remember Linea with fondness because it was the first place that I went to buy some new clothes 6 months after our eldest was born (nearly 19 years ago now. Eeeek.) On reflection my choices were bad - but that was purely down to me. 

I was asked by House of Fraser recently whether I would like to take a look at the new Linea collection. It's been re-worked and updated. I was delighted to spend some time when I was in the Sutton Coldfield store looking at what was on offer.

I was gifted this gorgeous Ava coat from Linea as part of the collaboration with House of Fraser. I've had such a positive response to it on Instagram and it is truly a lovely coat, being made of 75% wool, 10% cashmere and 15% nylon.  This is, I would say, the perfect "commuter coat." I've worn it on several recent trips to London when I've been on the train and when it's necessary to have something warm enough to keep the chill at bay but not so thick that you over heat. It's a coat that I find myself reaching for again and again because it just makes an outfit (however dressed down) feel polished.

I also love the colour of the lining, the simple lines and the fact that the pockets are square and "upright", meaning that a phone never falls out of it. I never thought that the type of pocket that a coat had would ever really be a consideration for me but it is. Is that terrible - especially in this context? Probably but there you go, it is!

And as to some of the other pieces that caught my eye....

Well first off, there's the Linea bomber back detail coat (£169). Unsurprisingly, I love the shade of pink and there's a really interesting layering detail at the back, giving the look of a bomber jacket. I love it when I come across a piece of clothing and I think to myself "oooh, I wonder how that all works." This was one of those pieces - something just a little different.

Moving on to my next item...

This is the Linea  Henny Pu full skirt (£49) which comes in grey or black. I love the combination of the modern material with the slightly more classic style of skirt than lots of pleather skirts. It has such a lovely "swish" to it and would look amazing styled with a pussy bow blouse and heels for work or with a slogan T and trainers at the weekend (well, provided that it wasn't snowing).

The world has gone crazy for long sleeved, printed, midi dresses...

And Linea have come up trumps with this gorgeous poppy printed dress (£69). Styled here with heels, it would also work well (as you all know) with thick tights, ankle boots and a chunky cardigan over the top, or with a leather jacket and ankle boots, or with a fur coat for a winter wedding. This bold, graphic print is really strong and has great colouring to it. 

How gorgeous is this Linea lace bodice metallic pleat dress (£125)? A dress that looks like a skirt and top is always a winner in my book. Skirts and tops can be quite a faff - all that tucking in business with the top having to be the right length etc. However this is all done for us. The skirt has a great length to it with plenty of movement and the top part is covered but still has that lovely sheer element to it too.  The waist is set quite high, giving the illusion of legs that go on forever. I'm in! 

There's also a gorgeous cashmere jumper at Linea which at £79 is a really good price. This item was also gifted to me as part of the collaboration but I'm saving it for a Christmas outfit that I have in mind. All will be revealed in due course! 

Linea Isabella long line cardigan (£85)

Whenever I see someone wearing a long line cardigan, I always think how stylish it looks. It can be hard to find one long enough though but this one has a great length to it and it's such a versatile piece, layered over skinnies with a big chunky scarf or faux fur scarf. The grey inside also just makes it so much more stylish than if it was navy.

And who isn't always on the look out for a great top?

The print and detail on this Linea snake print ruffle blouse (£45) are fabulous. A bit of subtlety is always good (unless it comes to pink or sequins when all bets are off) but this offers something elegantly simple whilst still having something about it. I like most things that I wear, or that I put ladies in to "have something about them" - or the potential to have "something about them" when accessorised.

And finally!

There's the Linea Prince of Wales checked trousers (£55). Checks are having such a huge moment and the style of these makes them less "90s office attire" than some of the wide leg options available.  I love the idea of them with the snake print blouse, offering something just a little different.

I have to admit that Linea had sort of fallen off my fashion radar but there are some great pieces and I shall definitely be popping back from time to time to take a look. The quality and the price point are both good and the styling of the pieces on the House of Fraser site is soooooo much better than many other brands I could mention. Do take a whizz over if you have a minute and see what you think.

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with House of Fraser, for which I was gifted the Eva coat and the cashmere jumper referred to above. I wasn't given a brief and all words and observations are my own.

The jumper that we all need in our Wardrobe

Honestly, you may not think that you need a pink jumper but you absolutely do. I promise. Even if you don't like pink, you really do need a pink jumper. This is even more so if you don't like sparkles, Christmas jumpers or Fair Isle ones - all of which are in abundance at this time of year.  They go so well with denim and all of those navy, black and grey pieces that we wear at this time of year.

I posted the above picture on Instagram a while ago and asked people if they had seen any fab pink jumpers this season.  And this is the response that came back...

The Oasis cable knit (£40) seemed particularly popular. If wearing it with a midi length embellished skirt of the party variety, just tuck some of the front of the jumper into the waistband in a nonchalant kind of way, so as to keep the proportions right. Equally this would look great with coated skinnies and wellies for those winter walks that we all avoid like the plague look forward to on a cold wintery day.

This Oasis pink turtleneck (£30) offers something slightly more lightweight for those layering occasions, or if a chunky style is just too heavy for what you're wearing on the bottom half. The scalloped neckline  and hem make for a really pretty detail.

For something a little sport luxe, this Burford cashmere hoodie from Kitted in Cashmere (£139) is just lovely. Again it can be worn with a party style skirt for a high/low look, or  leather leggings, or luxe track pants. This jumper also comes in this amazing shade of pink, which is really "Wow" in the flesh.

This Burfood hoodie is a "one size fits all" jumper too - making it the perfect Christmas present.

If a slightly more subtle shade of pink is more of your thing, then there's the HUSH Helen jumper (£69) which isn't quite as full on as some of the more neon ones that I've suggested above. This is a great, easy style to wear too. Layer something underneath it, or over it, tuck it in, leave it out, lengthen it with a white shirt peeping out from the bottom, add a scarf if you prefer a higher neckline, jazz it up with sparkly jewellery - it's just so versatile. 

I've noticed that chenille, that fabulous fabric with 80s and 90s connotations, seems to be having a revival. So for those who like the idea of some texture and would rather avoid anything with wool in it, there's this hooded jumper in cerise chenille from H&M (£29.99)

And I love this Chunky knit jumper H&M (£19.99). It's very insta worthy in a "wearing it with Mom type jeans and sky scraper heels" kind of way. Over sized, overly long sleeves with a great high neckline, it's fabulous.

For an investment piece in something luxuriously soft, there's the Mimi cashmere jumper from White Stuff (£89.95) which was also drawn to my attention. It's such a vibrant shade of pink - love it!

And then I just had to go and do it didn't I? I had to go and lower the tone by including a jumper that was not only pink but also sparkly and with a Christmas theme. As you can tell, this was all my own work! It's the Topshop Christmas sequin penguin jumper (£36) and I fear that it might just have my name all over it.

Now do you believe me? You see, you totally need a pink jumper....don't you?!

The Little Black Dress of Dreams from LK Bennett

Salena black dress LK Bennett (£325)

Last week I was lucky enough to be holding an event in the LK Bennett store in Birmingham and so, for one night only, I got to wear the most beautiful little black dress. 

There are so many gorgeous dresses in LK Bennett at the moment that they really deserve a post of their own. From fabulous dresses in the collaboration with Preen, to floral midi dresses, velvet knee length dresses and leopard print dresses, LK Bennett is definitely very strong in its "dress game" this season.

But for now I'm just going to tell you why this Salena dress is such a gem. First, it has a great length to it, so there's no issue as to whether it feels too short or not. Secondly, the volume in the skirt is really flattering for pear shaped figures as it just skims so beautifully. The lace detailing around the shoulders and neckline does a great job of drawing the eye upwards - a fantastic styling trick if ever there was one. And one of the best things is that the lace detailing around the waist is quite high, meaning that it falls on a narrow part of the torso plus it gives the illusion of legs going on forever. This is just one of those dresses that feels really elegant and glamourous when you're wearing it.

If you do happen to be on the hunt for a dress for the festive season, or just because you fancy a new frock, I would definitely suggest heading over to LK Bennett for a look. Traditionally I think that it's fair to say that they had more of a formal/corporate/fitted Kate Middleton (in a good way) look about them but they are definitely rocking some cooler frocks this winter.