Super-Bright Loafers: The Ultimate Neon Librarian Shoe?

As much as I love my little brown loafers, I am very much into all the super-bright footwear that's around at the moment. I came across a particularly gorgeous neon pink pair in Topshop at the weekend (see below), but colourful flats are cropping up all over the place right now.

• Pink Tassel Brogues by Topshop, £30

• Leather Tassel Loafers by Asos, £50

• Bow Loafer Flats by Schuh, £65

• Suede Loafers by Topshop, £28 

• Coral Canvas Loafer by Office, £30

I think what I like best about these shoes is the juxtaposition between their neat, scholastic shape and their jolly festive colour schemes. There is a real sense of a joyful disjunction between function and frivolity here, and I love it. I'm sure all five pairs would prove a valuable edition to my wardrobe; coupled with some contrasting coloured tights, they would fit in perfectly with my current 'Revenge of the Neon Nerd' look. 

Indeed, I did come perilously close to buying that pink Topshop pair - £30 is so cheap for something so beautiful! - but I was already buying a coat, a spotted dress, and some austere black wedge-heeled boots, and the shopper's guilt would have been too much. Plus, I already have a perfectly functional pair of non-garish loafers and some purple lace-up brogues; all of my sartorial bases are pretty much covered without the addition of these lovelies. Nonetheless, should anybody out there be looking to get me a PhD viva present, I can assure you that the neon pink pair in a size 6 would go down a storm!

Further Adventures in Fabric

I am continuing to love the time sink that is Spoonflower, and have yet to stop tinkering with various designs. In a slight change of pace, I have moved on from the more painterly themes I started out with, and am currently exploring scientific imagery. Medical scans, fractals, and images obtained using electron microscopes can make for some surprising pretty textiles designs. The three prints below, for example, are all based around microscopic photographs.

The middle one is my favourite. It has a kind of woven, almost folky feel to it. My only concern is that the pattern might be a wee bit small. The design might lose some of its impact when viewed from a distance. Here's what a yard of the fabric would look like:

Still cute to my eye - it could potentially work nicely as a kind of contemporary kilting fabric - but it undoubtedly loses something of its delicacy and nuance. I'm still playing, anyway, so I'll let you know how I progress.

Socks with Everything

As I mentioned in my review of the Mulberry show, I am very pleased by the number of little socks on the Spring 2012 catwalks. They've cropped up at Anna Sui, Marc Jacobs, House of Holland, and elsewhere.

Anna Sui, Spring 2012

Marc Jacobs, Spring 2012

House of Holland, Spring 2012 (Images from Style.com)

This suits me, because my ankle sock obsession is pretty much out of control right now. I've long been working socks as a daytime accessory to add a jolt of colour or quirk to an otherwise unremarkable ensemble...

... but the day version turned out to be a gateway sock. I've now graduated onto the harder stuff, and have started working socks for evening. I get some funny looks wearing this Calvin Klein dress with a white vintage belt, gold Marks and Spencer's shoes, and pink Topshop ankle socks, but it just feels so right! I am definitely not ready to let this micro-trend go just yet, and plan to try socks with everything until well into the new year!

The Love Bug

Earlier in the week, I promised you a post on insect-themed jewellery, and today is the day that I deliver! Below is a list of my top five pieces. A couple of them stray a little toward cutesy, I'll admit, but I think that the creepy crawly element keeps them just the right side of the line. My favourite? Well, I love the Gogo Philip scarab necklace (less chunky in real life, and very hip for Spring 2012), but the winner for me has to be the Topshop bug earrings. I love their detailed wings and iridescent shimmer. Long live creepy jewellery!

• Bug Pendent by New Look, £4.99

•  Bee Ring by Topshop, £15

•  Gogo Philip Scarab Necklace from Asos, £16

• Bee Studs by New Look, £4.99 (part of a set)

• Bug Studs by Topshop, £5.00

Wouldn't it be Nice if we were Younger?

The Guardian recently drew my attention to this super-cute duffel coat by Boden. I love the classic shape, the toggle detailing, the gorgeous colours, and the reasonable £60 price tag. I am just a bit gutted that it's only for children! I don't think there's much chance of me squeezing into the 13 - 14 years size. Waaah!

This little number got me browsing other kids' ranges for inspiration, and I must say that I am very jealous of the nation's youngsters. There is some truly lovely stuff around at the moment. At the risk of infantilizing myself, I have composed a list of five children's items that I would like to supersize.

• Boys' Suede Boots by Joules, £49.95

I love these Chelsea-style booties, which come in chic, sandy-coloured suede with contrasting navy detailing. If I could get they in my size, I'd work them with a printed dress and some woollen tights.

• Patterned Dress by Monsoon, £32

This is a lovely item, reminiscent of certain Anna Sui pieces. I like its folky feel, autumnal palette, and button detailing. If I wasn't a great big grown-up, I'd aim for a 1970s vibe, and style this with a tan leather handbag and a pair of flat knee-high boots.

• Giraffe Jumper by Cath Kidston, £32

It's good to see the giraffe being represented - it's a more offbeat choice than the cute and cuddly creatures typically found on girls' clothes! I also really like that shade of grey, and think it would look great over a shirt. I could totally see this slotting into my wardrobe.

• Stella McCartney Dress from La Redoute, £30.50

This, to my eye, is just gorgeous. The simplicity of the design is really refreshing - especially in a marketplace saturated with girlish, cutesy frocks. The pink is chic rather than saccharin, the Granddad collar is an unconventional choice, and the pin-tuck detailing in the front stops the minimalism from segueing into austerity. Bravo, Stella!

• Boys' Jumper by Monsoon, £28

I think this is so cute! The shape makes it look almost like a cropped jumper from a women's wear collection, but I love it as an item for boys too - the colours are so zesty and happy! If I could find an adult version of this, I would rock it with straight-leg jeans and maybe the Joules suede Chelsea boots pictured above; I think it would be kind of a cool, laid back way to work the heritage trend.

So, it turns out that the price isn't the only enviable thing about kids' clothes. I just hope I can find adult pieces with the same attention to detail and sense of fun.

Elizabeth Olsen Gives Good Collar

I don't really know much about Elizabeth Olsen, except that she's the actress sister of Mary Kate and Ashley. I have become aware of her mostly through the Style.com app on my iPhone. Her chipper little face keeps cropping up in candid party shots, and she always - but always - looks amazing. It helps that she's beautiful and that she's got great hair, but her outfits are pretty nifty too.

I really love what she's wearing at the Missoni for Target launch (directly above), and I can actually imagine it being pretty easy to achieve at home; all you'd need is a patterned sleeveless shift, a clean white shirt, coloured tights, and a pair of lace-ups. She's lucky the style gene (like the acting gene) runs in the family. I mean, if your sisters name a high-end fashion label after you, the pressure must really be on to hold your end up.

Do the Skull and Bones!

I've always struggled a bit with bling. I rarely come across stuff that I really love, and as a result, my outfits tend toward under-embellishment. Over the past few months, though, I've finally started to figure out why I stay away from jewellery; it often feels too feminine or too delicate for my aesthetic. I'm all for a maximalist approach to dressing, but a lot of the pieces I come across feel fussy in the wrong way.

So, in the interests of broadening my style horizons, I've been making the effort to experiment with those tougher, less girly pieces which might prove a better fit with my personal style. This has involved a lot of animal skulls, for some reason, as the images below will demonstrate:

Woodpecker Skull Necklace

Stag skull necklace

Ram's Skull Necklace

Apologies for the shitty quality of that last image - I just snapped it right now. Apologies, too, that I cannot send you rushing off to the high street to buy your own creepy skull necklaces; all of mine came from craft fares and boutique-y places. I do have a post on creepy insect jewellery coming up, though, so be sure to stay tuned for that!