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Legging it.

Urban Outfitters, leggings, Carine Roitfeld Uniqlo Collaberation A/W 2016, black skinny scarf,

Carine Roitfeld for Uniqlo Double Breasted Wool Blended Grey Pinstriped Jacket £69

Urban Outfitters Chevron Leggings. No longer available because I didn’t get my sorry arse in them quick enough to get them photographed to get them to your inbox. There, I’ve said it.

Moving right along though, aren’t leggings tight trousers? what is the difference between skinny jeans and leggings? Don’t say that jeans have pockets, zip fastenings etc. because so do the fabulous Kenzo  H&M leggings shown below. In the winter Mrs V can think of nothing worse than cold denim flapping around the legs. Praise be to the person that kick started the Athleisure trend. I was slopping around in anything with a  drawstring waist and a tailored jacket years ago.  At least now I’ve been recognised for my visionary approach to style, in my lifetime. Lol. Imagine my soothsaying style statements all coming good at once, how happy are you for me? My Wardrobe runneth over. Gym gear in my wardrobe and not purely consigned to my gym bag. My happy place will be when I have you all luxuriating in leggings, comfortable and totally on trend. Jog down to the Mall, stretch towards the rails and lunge back home again…and relax. Next worry. Are  leggings acceptable in polite society?

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Friend Blends

Ille de Cocos, cashmere, designer cashmere, Zara, Zara bomber jacket, Topshop sunglasses, Brandy Melville t shirt, red beads,

 

It’s totally time for the pre-fall pretend it’s still a little bit warm, but actually need a sweater moment. Where to turn for warmth without bulk? That would be a call to action for cashmere/wool or thermal fleece type stuff. My style spotlight alights on the cashmere and/or wool option, a mighty fine pair of fabric friends. Look what I’ve found, a very succinct treat that is the Ille de Cocos collection. The range is not huge but it is focused. All bases and limbs are covered.

 

Ille de Cocos side zip sweater, colour block cashmere, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing
Ille de Cocos cashmere sweater, colour block sweater, cashmere, designer cashmere

This boxy sweater salutes sweatpants, pencil trousers, skirts and skinny jeans. It was quite a trauma to take it off as it was so incredibly comfortable, warm and bloody gorgeous to wear. Also, look at my hat, it’s properly cosy, in control of my hair, and really pretty. Utterly right for this, ‘darling I’m off to get the croissants but I might meet a casting director’ look. Nah, jokes, I’d love to think my down time was spent looking like this. Most of my friends would run a book on how very unlikely I am to wear such an strong colour in such a large block. Well look at me now girls. Side zip sexy and shape changing . I like.

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Beauty and My Beasts.

Lipstick, Illamasqua, MAC, Topshop, beauty, blusher, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, Muji, make up bag, cosmetics

Left to right; Illamasqua Growl, Illamasqua Sangers, Topshop Infrared, Illamasqua Liv, Illamasqua Posture, Mac Stone, Mac Brave, Mac Pink Plaid

Lipsticks, hands, fingers, Mac, Illamasqua, Topshop, cosmetics, beauty, Make-up

Fingertips are a more similar skin tone to your lips than any other exposed dermal surface, better the the back of your hand. Which is why I’ve daubed my digits with the appropriate (left to right ) lipsticks in order to give you a realistic idea of their actual hue. Genius idea and I’m so happy with my blog helpfulness and all would be well in my blogosphere if I hadn’t pitched in and helped clean out the Chickens first. It occurs to moi that my hands look like badly made-up Chipolatas. These featured lipsticks are mine and in daily use. They are on little outings all the time e.g. the gym makes me stretch into my make up bag for Mac’s Pink Plaid or Brave. God knows how others cope with the multifaceted mirror environment at the gym. I do a risky lipstick reboot and Mac lipsticks can slide on all sneaky and silky, but stay put through a sweaty work out. London means Illamasqua Growl or Posture (huge favourite) depending on who, where, and what. Got to tell you how much I love the matte but not dry formula, that this brand has perfected.  Topshop’s Infrared is so much fun to wear it counteracts any matchy  matchy thoughts that you may have had. this Rio carnival of a lip colour doesn’t want to match anything which is so powerful. It’s a signal that you’re self confident enough to just put it out there. It should have been called Defiance. I don’t expect you all to wear it but some of you may have an occasion. Mrs V has a beauty secret.

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Fun Adds Up

Buckham Fair
buckhamfair

Left to right, back to front (lol)

Mrs V, Philippa Clunes, Martin Clunes, Rosemary Young,

Caroline Godwin, Bhavani Hogarty, Caroline Nicholson

Little update on this year’s Buckham Fair.

We have raised, with your support,

£90,000

This will all go to Dorset charity, The Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.

Thank you everyone and please come again next year…and bring a friend.

This Will Suit You.

Valentino , Brocade skirt suit, Italian womenswear designer, Vanessa Voegele-Downing,

The Model Edit(or) wears Valentino

Max Mara, SS17, white skirt suit, baseball cap, yellow handbag
Adeline Lee white skirt suit, LFW, SS2017, White, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing
Sid Neigum SS17, LFW, London Fashion Week, Brewer Street Car Park Show Space, white dress suit, white

Left to right; Max Mara Edeline Lee Sid Neigum

Truly this blog’s message is that suits aren’t  just pinstripe trousers and a briefcase. Skirt suits ‘a la’Max Mara, dress suits as predicted by Sid Neigum, or a T Shirt and skirt as shown by Edeline Lee, are all legal tender on next season’s shop floor. Mrs V  translates the word ‘Suit’ by suggesting that a suit can be anything at all comprising of an outfit of more than one matching piece ie. design and/or material but not limited to Mad Men tailored office wear concepts. How exciting is that? Every designer has sent out some form of suit for next season

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Press Showstoppers.

 

Dolce and Gabbana, Press Show, fish print transparent dress, SS17
Alice Archer, British Designer, Navy Blue Evening Dress with Pink-White-Coral embroidery, Mrs V, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, www.themodeledit.com, @themodeledit, London Fashion Week, LFW SS17, Press Show
Dolce and Gabbana SS17, Press Show, fish print pencil skirt, off the shoulder blouse

Left to right; D&G Alice Archer  D&G

Mrs V observed London Fashion Week (ringside) and via assiduous research has tabulated the rest of the best Spring Summer 2017 Collections. The thematic  coordination of  style by designers who probably wouldn’t recognise each other stretching simultaneously for the last  Crayfish/Rocket ( super trendy sea/fish themes this season, clever old Pret! ) sandwich on the shelf, yet share pretty much the same vision for our raiments each season always makes me stop and wonder how? As always The Model Edit’s focus is on what you can access, what you can buy to look pretty, sexy, successful or just comfortable in, and what you may already have lingering in your wardrobes that can underpin the looks streamlining the catwalk and the pages of Vogue. In a Manolo shoebox, here is my recipe for supreme summer loveliness via a pic’n mix of fashion houses. Firstly it was glaringly obvious that the Sea and it’s fruits are a massive theme.  Dolce and Gabbana  somehow make us look sexy in Sea Bass, whereas Alice Archer’s exquisitely executed capsule collection froths with it’s embroidered fronds, foam and coral embellishments, as though Daisy Buchanan swam to Gatsby’s parties and emerged as haute couture sea goddess. Get in the swim. This delicate theme leads to me to the next standout trend…

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Marks (and Spencer), Get Set, Go.

 

M&S A/W 2016/17, LONG WOOL COAT, TWEED COAT, BOHO DRESS, MIDID DRESS, FLORAL MIDI DRESS, LARGE DECONSTRUCTED HANDBAG, LARGE DECONSTRUCTED SHOULDER BAG, LEATHER WOMEN'S HANDBAG, LEATHER SHOULDER BAG, OPAQUE TIGHTS
M&S A/W 2016/17, ecru cable knit sweater, cut out shoulder chunky sweater, big drawstring shoulder bag, big leather bag, brown leather bag

This is a bit of a ‘deja vu’ post. It has been on your screens before but it was pointed out to me that some of you need a nudge at the appropriate times for designer diary dates. Here is my official metaphorical starter gun going off and now it’s up to you to sprint down the high street and through the M&S checkout line. Warning; some of this is new content!!!

M&S, M&S A/W 2016, silk bomber jacket, asymmetric midi skirt, roll neck jumper, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing , LEATHER HANDBAG
M&S A/W 2016, marled wool tunic and trousers, trouser suit, Down jacket, Puffa jacket, trainers

I’m in love with the M&S design studio who have truly, tremendously styled their A/W 2016/17 collection. The clothes are fabulously presented, lip smackingly approachable and owe much of their purchase appeal to the bang-on-trend way in which they’re presented. Consider the above suggestion of wool coat, floral boho midi dress and peep toe high heeled shoes that normally wouldn’t be seen anywhere without a cocktail. A mix of opposing fabrics, time slots and tones.Thanks are due to ‘outside the box’ thinking by the M&S style Sherpas.  All of us here at The Model Edit(presently me and Blog Dog Hippolyta Beryl ) love this anachronistic style shove. Not just that, but how about the brown tones featured on the seriously usefully sized  brown leather bag mingled with the colour black appearing elsewhere on the outfit ? Dating back to biblical times, is  black with navy or black with brown a fashion faux pas? It is allowed, always has been and is now positively encouraged. Go there

M&S A/W 2016/17, long black sleeveless evening dress, roll neck jumper, polo neck black jumper, evening shoulder bag
M&S A/W 2016/17, evening gown, women's black roll neck jumper, shoulder bag, black evening bag

This particularly pretty sleeveless long black evening dress with it’s gentle layering, gathering and lace inserts appeal goes to places that on it’s job description, it normally wouldn’t. Sling a roll neck jumper underneath and you’re there, naughty as anything wearing evening clothes in the stark staring daylight. How nice is that? This is not is not going to nudge the EU Referendum off the headline slot, but it may stop you retiring last year’s evening dresses for the sake of a black roll neck jumper. I love this juxtaposition. You save money, you recycle and you receive rave reviews because you are riding the trend.

Kettlewell, black silky roll neck jumper, black roll neck jumperSilky Roll Neck £39

If you’d like a slightly subtle roll neck, I suggest one of my wardrobe wonders, the saviour Silky Roll Neck from my lovely friend Melissa Nicholson’s company of go-to basics Kettlewell. I’ve got a white as well, which I think would look good worn for the same reason.

M&S, A/W 2016, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing,Boho midi dress, floral dress, leather shoulder bag, handbag
M&S, A/W 2016, short shift dress, floral dress, pussy bow blouse, handbag, leather clutch bag

Every outfit has it’s handbag friend. Choice a go go. You won’t be in free fall or missing that one last accessory that cinches the deal. It’s all appearing in a store near you in September. Thing is, we have all the components of a complete wardrobe refit here, and no flags flying to denote it’s provenance. Which after all is a good thing. I don’t want my clothes to advertise the store where I bought them. I want them to advertise me. M&S are showing real verve and bravery, as it taps into who they know is out there but still leaves a changing cubicle aside for their residual inhabitants. Every woman that will shop a style from here will be taking this brand to it’s next base. We’ve been wondering how long it would be. Wait over.

Here then is the prospect of a self styling reappraisal of fashion preconceptions and permitted behaviour. Your old, can become your new, after a trolley dash around M&S . Round of applause for the M&S styling visionaries and their one-stop-shop suggestions.

 

Walking The Catwalk

Press Show, Paris Collections, Pret a Porter, Chantal Thomas, womenswear, Mrs V , The Model edit, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, modelling, catwalk, french designer fashion, redhead, model

 

Countdown to London Fashion Week S/S,17 so I give you old style me, Mrs V, wearing Chantal Thomas in both shots and feeling solid about it. Chantal Thomass made really feminine  clothes and sensational lingerie, not that I was need to model that… Apart from the very dated shoes I think that no-one would throw stones at me if I stood waiting for the 137 anywhere along it’s route. It does look a bit like I couldn’t decide which scarf and where, thought sod it I’ve got this, and self confidence is a marvellous thing.

 

chantal Thomas, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa voegele-Downing, model, french fashion, catwalk, press show, Paris, redhead, supermodel

 

Again Chantal Thomass Press Show, Carree du Louvre.  All the model edit is saying is that the collections are really fun to watch but unforgettable to walk.

 Am I moonlighting in a Pantomime  as principal boy?

Pay It Forward

Rodarte, Paisley halter neck top, paisley, evening top, summer top, women clothes
Striped woman's shirt, Young and Fabulous, Broke Mission top, shirt, striped shirt
Public School, Sweatpants, jogging pants

Here is my current wheeze, which creates a fabulous synergy between wardrobe and wallet. Here’s the thing, when you shop the sales scrutinise what you can currently purchase that could potentially be a compadre to your winter look. There are so many hybrid items out there at fabulously discounted prices and Mrs V sees no sense at all in clutching on to the last straws of summer clothing, but would rather invest in items that cross the not so great season/climate divide.

Starting with the halter neck top and proceeding in a clockwise direction, these items are perfect examples of winter wardrobe accoutrements;

Rodarte Paisley Halterneck Top  There are a few variations on this theme. My point is that under an evening jacket this is going to seriously take some beating.

Public School Sweatpants  Athleisure is dug in, will transcend seasons and encompasses the 24 hour clock. Try out for the team.

Young Fabulous & Broke  Trending from now onwards until further notice, is the striped shirt tucked in loosely and asymmetrically .

It’s a bit exhilarating at least here at The Model Edit headquarters, to experience the thrill of the chase and purchase a frill and some lace and not at naughty prices.

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My Edited Highlights

 

Close up red hair - 1
Mrs V, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, red hair, redhead, venetian blond, pre raphaelite,
Red hair, frizzy hair, afro hair

My red hair is very unruly, very curly, very long and not in very good condition. What a spiffy challenge it is for a hairdresser. The Model Edit likes nothing better than a hairdresser who can stand their ground and intelligently explain why this, that or the short straight bob with a full frontal fringe won’t work on my head however much I really, really would like it to. Why can’t I have my hair like Christina Hendricks? My hairdresser has to have answers to all these questions and informed opinions that will deflect me from inappropriate hairstyle choices. I don’t go down easily.

Christina Hendricks, redhead, the bob hairstyle,
Luckily for me Daniel Galvin Jr is that person. I am now a very happy customer at the Daniel Galvin Jr, 4 West Halkin Street, London SW1. It has been a smooth and enlightening transition both mentally and physically. First consultation I chatted with Daniel and Olyvia, Daniel’s executive colourist. After an exchange of wants and needs (me ) and what could actually be achieved (them) the process of making my barnet look blissed out began. You’ve all been to the hairdressers so I’ll spare you the process of what ensued. Know that Mrs V, emerged all gorgeous glossy and glowy back into the polite society of London’s Knightsbridge for an hour or so then the not so polite surroundings of Dorset, mud, hay, sand and salt water, looking exactly how we discussed. I didn’t look coiffed but I did look chuffed.

Mrs V, Highgrove, The Ritz, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, www.themodeledit.com

I was totally happy with Daniel’s ‘less is more for the time being’ approach. Loved that he pointed out the often overlooked fact on a first visit to a hairdresser, that it’s a new relationship which must be learnt from either side. Daniel believes  women need to see hair as an extension of their make up. “Haircolour should be used as a cosmetic, if you have the correct make up in your hair then you should not be dashing for the make up draw in the morning to make you look healthier.  Haircolour should make your skin armed and eyes stronger”
My highlights are going to subtly change according to the season. Now that makes really sense. Why on earth would my hair colour literally stay the same colour come rain or shine? I’d like my hair to evolve and stay as naturally pretty as possible.I think I’ve found the man for the job. Even better, he encouraged me to see how I felt with the result and to return for any fine tuning necessary. Oh, I will…

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