H&M's cosy new season trends

On Thursday 25th August, H&M will open its first ever shop-in-shop on the ground floor of Selfridges in London, which will include a selection guest curated for the launch by super-cool DJ and model, Leigh Lezark.


"The curated pieces are, I feel, modern classics everyone should have in their wardrobes," Leigh said. Adding that she's "tried to throw in some colour", in reference to her love of all things black.

From the preview, it's clear that we're not talking about bold and bright colour pops, but rather a muted pallette that fits with this season's Sixties' vibe, championed in Vogue's Autumn/Winter 2011 Runway Roundup.



But while I'm not sure that "everyone" should have jersey mustard-coloured hotpants in their wardrobe (I certainly should not), the soft-line cocoon pieces Leigh has chosen look very wearable for the winter.

I'd be quite happy to hibernate in the over-sized cardigan from January through March.

The thing about Pattie...

I've been a little bit obsessed (okay, a lot obsessed at times) with The Beatles since I was about eight, and of all the women associated with the individual members, and of all the models of the 1960s in general, Pattie Boyd stands out as the ultimate style icon.

Her look was understated and natural, away from the staged magazine shoots, and she managed to seem cute and innocent and sexy and seductive all at the same time.

I love her hair, I love her clothes and I love her story: Wife to two of the biggest names in music, muse, model and photographer - what a life. Yes, I have a bit of a 'thing' about Pattie...

Oh hand me down...a 1960s shift dress

The wardrobes of older generations of the family can be veritable treasure troves for vintage-lovers. I have a very pretty dropped-waist butterfly print dress, bought from Topshop by my mum in the late Seventies, and her leg-warmer collection was fully raided a few years ago when Eighties style first started to come back around. But as my mother shops frequently, she has had regular clear-outs throughout the years - many of which before I was turned on to the joys of vintage fashion. So that well is now pretty much dry when it comes to original gems.

My fiance's older relatives seem to have hung on to special items, however, and as a Christmas gift his mother passed down a gorgeous sixties' croquet-work, diamante-detail shift dress. It needed a touch of TLC, but miraculously all the diamantes are still in place, and after I took the hem up and gave it a good wash, and my friend did something clever with croquet-repairing tools, it was ready to wear. With the sort of timeless and sophisticated style which makes it perfect for any event, it's my new favourite LBD.

My favourite decade for style: The Sixties

Why I think you can’t beat the Sixties for fabulous fashion.

Thanks to the birth of rock and roll in the Fifties, young adults felt for the first time that they owned a slice of life distinct to that of their parents; and the Sixties saw popular youth culture blossom, with a feeling that anything was possible and everything was there to be experienced. With the arrival of Mary Quant’s mini-skirt, female haircuts as short as boys’ – see Twiggy’s iconic Beatle-cut - and patterns and colours as bold and as bright as they could be; fashion challenged social boundaries, and it was exciting!

The style icon of the decade has to be the woman who has been both Mrs Harrison and Mrs Clapton: model Pattie Boyd. One of the most successful and prolific cover-girls of her time, Pattie defined a look which is still emulated to this day with her heavily-lined doe eyes, sleek hair and shifts as cute as the gap between her front teeth. Not only was Pattie absolutely gorgeous, she managed to pull off both girlish charm and stylish sophistication, all with a quiet dignity so distinct from today’s age of D-list WAG wannabes. It’s little wonder that she inspired the composition of both ‘Something’ and ‘Wonderful Tonight’.

I take it as the greatest compliment when people say that I “look like something out of the Sixties” and my favourite pieces inspired by the decade have to be my black lace shift and purple and white patent Mary-Janes from Camden Market. The outfit is so cute and easy to wear and I feel like a doll every time I slip into the shoes. In terms of accessories; black eyeliner is the only thing I need - slicking on some Rimmel is the quickest way to create glamour and it adds a touch of drama to any outfit.