Exposing Camouflage

mvthun21, Instagram, @mvthun21, camouflage style, camouflage fashion, shacket, older model, grey hair, classic woman, instagram influencer

Overriding the faux fur and lace effects appliquéd on to most everything right now, I was smacked around my fashion face by Camouflage print clothing as ‘eye spied’ my way around London this week. It’s rough, ready, smart sexy. Get out on manoeuvres and capture your target piece My Instagram friend @mvthun21 illustrates perfectly how to incorporate a piece of Camouflage clothing into your ever evolving if I have my way, style lives. Monumentally stylish Mercedes. Don’t we all want to be in her squad? Camo. It’s gone guerrilla up the high street and should be launching a sustained attack on your wardrobe.

Moschino, Versace, Camouflage print fashion, catwalk, camouflage on the catwalk

Pre Fall A/W 2017  Versace  Moschino  Nili Lotan

I could list a whole slew of stockists and styles for the charge of the Camo brigade. But I won’t as it’ll take me ages and I want to send this with love from me to you asap, but primarily because you should browse either by foot or finger to find out how you intend to get in on the crusade of this season, last season and next season.

TOPSHOP camouflage print Shacket, Camouflage fashion

Stradivarius High Street clothing brand, Mrs V, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, www.themodeledit.com, camouflage clothing fashion, came print shirt, women's cams fashion

 

Topshot Camouflage Shacket £45  Stradivarius Camouflage Shirt £25.99

My idea of a ‘good buy’ is an item of clothing that is working hard for its place in my Wardrobe. Don’t translate that into ‘must be worn at all times’. Whatever the piece of clothing, big or small, ostentatious or ordinary, there must be an intrinsic value to it. In Mrs V’s wardrobe there are many tiny weeny bit part players that underpin much of any big blousy outfits appearing on any of The Model Edit’s social network portals. While I’m on a roll I’ll offload another of my beliefs, an iconic item spanning the spectrum between a Burberry Raincoat to a Rolling Stones ‘sticky out tongue’ graphic T, will always, always validate your ticket. The Camouflage print is a prince among prints. I wish I was re inventing the wheel or even put the ‘wire’ in ‘under’, but what I am doing is having a sort of ranty crusade to draw your attention from what’s under your nose, to what’s coming over the horizon, and to ensure that you invest well in pieces that won’t let you down this time next year. I’m pointing you in the direction of Camouflage clothing. It defies it’s original purpose, i.e. to hide things. Camouflage prints are the foot soldiers of fashion. Their colours answer all tonal combinations. Accessories or entire looks. Get into step with this phenomenon.It’s going everywhere Parkas, Jackets, Shackets, Shirt, Hats, Coats, Gloves, T’s, Scarves and Lingerie. Catwalk and Sidewalk.

Chanel Camouflage Jacket, Came fashion, Women's Camouflage jacket, Chanel

When Chanel sends out a call to action, choose your weapons. Visa, MasterCard, Amex…

Get Over It.

Bustier, crop top, Zara, corset, Missguided, Missguided Floral Dress, necklaces, red hair, long curly hair, curly hair, redhead

Zara Top £17.99 (slightly modified, but gorgeous)

Today’s masterclass is in jushing. (say it out loud and you’ll know what I mean). Mrs V is right old pleased about the transformer items currently available on all street corners. With the application of a Corset, Bustier, Belt  or, hello again, Boob Tube that may even be already snuggled on a shelf in your home, you can be in the group photo on the ‘What’s Hot’ list for this summer. All you have to do is find one of these articles of clothing that you feel happy to wear and then you sling it over something you currently own. It’s a wizard wheeze, the revival of something languishing in your wardrobe. Reader, I’ve bought some…

Missguided, Missguided Floral Maxi Dress, maxi dress, floral maxi dress, cropped top, bustier, boob tube

 Bright as you like Boob Tube from Zara £3.99

Squish what you dare into this top, it’s, heads you win and tails why don’t you give it a go? As with a couple of these teasers, they are super well cut and don’t seem to head south and if they were going down Mexico way, they would definitely be doing that on me. Floral Maxi dress a wardrobe pensioner from Missguided.

Bustier, crop top, boob tube, H&M, H&M Lurex top, sparkly top, Armani shirt, Armani, jeans, frayed jeans, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing
Armani, Armani shirt, white shirt, cotton shirt, designer clothing, denim, silver boots, ankle boots

H&M Silver Bandeau £8.99

How nice is this look? Where can’t I go with this combination? Who’s not letting me in? I’m wearing top stuff, Armani shirt = tick, Levis = tick, Topshop Silver Boots = tick, H&M pocket money sparkly Bandeau = tick. I’m with the Bandeau.

Zara Denim Belt, denim corset belt, Zara, Carine Roitfel, Carine Roitfeld trousers, Carine Roitfeld Jacket
Denim belt , denim corset belt, Carine Roitfeld tailored trousers, Brandy Melville Grey wool short sleeved roll neck top

Zara Denim Corset £15.99  Carine Roitfeld for Uniqlo Jacket and Trousers, Brandy Melville Short Sleeved Lambswool sweater and Topshop Ankle Boots. All Mrs V’s fashion incumbents.

Corsets aren’t all slap and tickle. Variations on the theme of, are morphing into everyday, anywhere wear (had to). Due to the retail pace of life and possibly driven by both your’s and mine voracious appetite to look more and more lovely, unless I post five minutes after I’ve targeted a particular item, the item is quite often no longer available. What I will try to do is find a love match with another item, which is what has happened here.

New Look Floral Kimono, Carine Roitfeld, Carine roitfeld black skirt, Pencil skirt, tailored skirt, Dune shoes, high heeled shoes, scrappy sandals

Pulling you back to a shot from last week’s post. H&M Bra top £9.99

 Here’s the thing, as I’ve been assiduously researching, trawling and cross referencing in order to provide links to your pathways to style supremacy, I’ve now gone pea green with envy because of all the insanely gorgeous new on the scene tops in this genre that are now on offer to you.

Bloody hell. You’re all going to beat me at my own game

Check Me Out

 

Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, gingham, boiler suit, jumpsuit, white boots, ankle boots, gingham Spencer jacket, gingham jacket, redhead, long hair, all in one

Just so’s you know;

Gingham is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarn.[1] It is made of carded, medium or fine yarns, where the colouring is on the warp yarns and always along the grain (weft). Gingham has no right or wrong side with respect to colour.

A question that I need you to answer is; When does an every day checked shirt, dress, tablecloth become a Gingham checked shirt, dress, tablecloth? Haunting.

Literally checking out. Forget what’s trending or ‘in’ somethings are never out. This is a story of two halves; the gingham I already have and the Gingham I want to have. Off I go, little Ging-er that I am.

My reversible bomber/jean jacket type-y thing. With me since I was very little. At least 25 years. How cool is that? No Wardrobe culls here at Mrs V’s house.

Boyfriend style, Gingham, Gingham men's shirt, Ralph Lauren, Pink Gingham Ralph Lauren shirt, Levis, Jeans, baggy jeans, denim

Marry me, I think I love…your pink gingham Ralph Lauren shirt.  Pick a partner  with great taste and get all the advantages of literally rummaging through their drawers and borrowing, not buying ‘boyfriend wear’. The heart and soles of my marriage, my 23 year old Gingham, wedding shoes. I’m loving being my own fashion visionary. See above AND below.

Vanessa Voegele-Downing, Tim Voegele-Downing, Vanessa and Tim Voegele-Downing, Wedding Dress, Gingham, Tulle, Tutu, Tutu style Wedding Dress,

My dress was Haute Couture designed and made for me by Vincent LaRouche, now Creative Director at Lafco New York, thereby having made me look heavenly , now makes me smell celestial too. My shoes were customised with the same Swiss Cotton Gingham as the Corset of my dress and made by Diane Hassall

 

Navy Gingham man's shirt, Gingham shirt, menswear, vintage shirt
Gingham waistcoat, Gingham, tailored waistcoat, brown sued ankle boots, PRADA eyewear, skinny jeans, redhead, classic women,

If you want to be on the  selvedge side of this style statement, there are no encrypted passwords preventing you accessing the trend code for Gingham. The Press Shows are our window before the shop window. They are your cue to decide whether you’re in or you’re out with the trend. If you’re in, there are two choices; How much do you like it conjoined with how much do you care to spend on it?  Flinging this classic little cheeky check at you now and hoping that some of it will stick.

gingham, Topshop all-in-one, summer clothes
H&M Summer top, Gingham clothes
Boiler suit, Topshop jumpsuit, Gingham, H&M, H&m gingham top, M&S, M&S shoes, high heels, blue velvet ankle strap shoes, summer tops, women's fashion, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing

Don’t look at my previous season’s Topshop jumpsuit, you can’t have it. Pull focus instead on the little nicety peeping out from under it. I swear to God that this top will rip through the red traffic lights of your wardrobe by jumping on top of dresses, t-shirts,jackets  and shirts, and getting under dresses t-shirts, jackets and shirts. Thank you H&M for getting it right, style + price. Only problem with this item is that it’s not available online which may mean that stocks are low. I suggest you put your running shoes on. If you think that it has  restrictions, well doesn’t everything ? Anyway, I have a response…

Gingham clothes, H&M, monk clothing, Monki women's trousers, H&M Gingham shirt S/S 2017
Gingham wraparound shirt, H&M summer 2017, Monki trousers, Monki
Gingham wraparound shirt, H&M, H&M gingham top, women's fashion, summer Gingham, Monki, Monki trousers

H&M Blue Gingham Wraparound Shirt £ 29.99

This top is the Bee’s and the Dog’s. Truly tremendous in it’s drop shoulder and swooping hem tailoring. You can tie it tightly to show off or mask your assets ( I have quite wondrously achieved both objectives ). Conversely you can do the same with tying it loosely. Marvellous. Merci H&M again. I’m wearing Monki massively enormous, cinched waist trousers bought last season but how very this season. Btw, I’m wearing both tops in a size 12.

Now loads of other Gingham stuff, and not nonsense.

Zara Pink gingham Skirt, Zara S/S 2017
Marques Almeida S/S 2017, Bikini, Marques Almeida designers, Marques Almeida Orange Gingham Bikini
Zara Red Gingham Dress, Gingham, Zara S/S 2017

Zara Fuchsia Gingham Skirt £25.99 Marques Almeida Orange Gingham Bikini  £115  Zara Red Gingham Dress £39.99

 

Zara Gingham, Zara S/S 2017, black ruffled trousers, Black Gingham tunic
Zara S/S 2017, zara Blue Gingham Smock Top, Gingham
Mango Black Gingham Skirt, Wraparound Black Gingham Skirt, Gingham S/S 2017

Zara Black Gingham Tunic  £12.99  Zara Blue gingham Smock  £25.99  Mango Black Gingham Skirt £25.99

I have gone entirely demented whilst writing this post (Easter, Easter Egg Hunts, Guests, Spring cleaning, is it a movement or a phenomenon? complete immersion into all three daughter’s lives and the ridiculously tiny amount of hours in a day). It feels as though it has taken three decades, however, you’re worth it and it’s kind of my pleasure.

Go forth and Ging’em

Mrs V Party, Party

Miu Miu, Miu Miu S/S 2017, Fashion party, press party, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com

Altruistically and totally with your style successes in mind, Mrs V has been out and about in town at style centric  events in the name of research. Wearing not her party dress, but her party pants. It’s nice to be chauffeured from door to door but if Parker’s left you Lady Penelope, to go out partying on his own, what’s a girl to wear that will get her there? Pants, trousers, trousers, pants whichever way you say it, they do have the appeal of warmth, ease of movement and are nice little items to warm up or cool down when you get where you’re going. What I mean is a great big woolly jumper can hide a lacy camisole and can be whipped off as a big reveal. Not so with your strappy cocktail dress. You’ve committed for cooler for warmer.

Mrs V was at the Miu Miu cocktail party at their Bond Street Store. The S/S 2017 collection was on show and it was fab to see, touch and wear ( see sunglasses above) some of the collection. I was wearing a navy blue pinstriped trouser suit that I had handmade in Kathmandu. I want you all to go there and have one made too. Lol. Point is, you need a suit. Simple as. At this late stage my advice is get your credit cards to manual at the start of the sales and don’t skimp on the suit. Buy the best the sales can offer, you’ll be bagging a wardrobe requisite. Ignore me at your peril on this matter.

miumiu-party-candy-bar-1
Miu Miu, candy lolly, trouser suit, celebrities, designer clothes, Miu Miu S/S 2017
Miu Miu cocktail party, candy lolly, Instagram celebrities
Miu Miu cocktail party, Miu Miu S/S 2017

Miu Miu, fascinatingly individual looking people, stylish people and celebrities, all treats and delights for a tiny blogger. Got very over excited, cornered the Candy Bar and ate so many sweeties and felt just a tiny bit sick on voyage home. So worth it!

Look at these fabulous feathery and furry and superbly hip components of Miu Miu S/S 2017

Miu Miu feathery slides, flip flops, shoes, Miu Miu, Mrs V, www.themodeledit.com
Miu Miu fuchsia faux fur bolero, Miu Miu jewelled faux fur bolero S/S 2017
Miu Miu Shoes, Miu Miu feather heeled Mary Janes, diamante shoes, evening shoes, Miu Miu evening shoes, Miu Miu shoes S/S 2017
Miu Miu faux fur bolero, Miu Miu orange faux fur bolero, faux fur, Miu Miu jewelled faux fur bolero S/S 2017

What incredible fun to be had next season. Grab a feathery thing and wear it wantonly and with conviction. This is a great insider’s view and still within the last orders for Christmas delivery period. Get scrolling down a few fashion websites and see what feathery look will tickle your fancy. Get on it now and be way ahead of the pack. I’ve pinned you down and extolled my theories. Who will take me up on them? Look at my next venue, which couldn’t be more diametrically opposed to Bond street…

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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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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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I’m Back

Topshop tutu, Asos shoes, Asos evening top, Mrs V, themodeledit.com, Vanessa Voegele-Downing

Whilst I was going to opt for the ‘poor me, I’ve been run off my feet’ approach, I feel that there are people out there who have seen me partying on, and could shoot me down as I beg your forgiveness for my Blog silence and cause of. If I were half the blogger that I’m aiming to be I’d have been all professional about myself and announced a little blog hiatus. Instead, I just fretted, ducked, dived but most of all prioritised as I’ve had GCSE’s, A Levels and a final Dissertation going on in my life. Aargh. Moving on, look at me wearing my navy blue Topshop tutu, last year’s fun purchase but others are around and so abound. Shoes and top thank you Asos, both last year, but not groundbreaking fashion items and therefore similar lurk on every high street and online website.

Mango metallic Jacket, All Saints leather trousers, Toyshop Silver ankle boots, Brandy Melville t shirt

I went to an EU referendum/Birthday, party and glittered my way into the following day and became overnight, along with the rest of you a very tiny European citizen. Did not see that coming… Fashion will definitely send out it’s statement on that anon. I am wearing this year’s Mango metallic jacket which I love because it’s tailored and has biker jacket zips on the cuffs. All Saints leather biker jeans, last year but you can do this. This year’s Topshop Chelsea boots and a current always and forever, very simple Brandy Melville t shirt. I of course went to other places but feel that my outfits hovered somewhere in-between the two shown here, give or take sweatpants, trainers, denim jacket and jeans. When I am not in London I try to rip it up in Dorset, so that you don’t have to. On that subject walk this way…

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Happy Christmas Me, Part 2.

I am so lucky and thankful to have so many wonderful things, most of them not tangible, so my Christmas list reflects little chinks in my wardrobe and on my dressing table.

Anyway, it’s good to have goals…

 

I’m as happy to mix designer and high street with jewellery as I am with clothes, which is good as I have much more fun like that and a far, far less restricted budget, although I do love real the jewellery classics, pearls, diamonds and platinum, but gilding the lily with fake fripperies is fun too. Thanks to Yves Saint Laurent and his inspirational accessories muse, Loulou de la Falaise, I’ve had the best masterclass in mix and match fake jewellery trickery ever. I have found fabulousness in the aisles of Mango, TOPSHOP, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters this season. Go on, root around, pile it on and don’t wear the same stuff two days running. You can wear it wrapped all around your wrists, dangling from your ears and in many coils around your neck. Put it all on with your t shirt and jeans, your fake fur, your leather or pleather anything, and utterly everything else that you own. I love masses of things jangling around my wrists, and I always wear a man’s watch. Makes my wrists look skinny!

I have featured 3 pieces that I’d like to own and wear on the same day, together, anywhere with anything. Huge silver wedding band ( no law against masquerading fraudulently in it), from Tiffany and Co. Diamonds by the Yard pendant necklace, also from Tiffany and Co. And lastly I crave these asymmetric sparkly earrings, as worn by pointy toed Darcy Bussell on Strictly Come Dancing, earning a 10 out of 10 from me and a thank you to Zara

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Top Coat

Zara, Grey Wool Coat, winter coat

As I mentioned in my last post, my route march around London during Half Term has left me with ideas and opinions for outfits, the components of which may well be already dangling around in your Wardrobe, e.g., jeans if you’re not a dungaree wearer, silky blouses, ankle boots and possibly even the omnipresent Grey Duster/ Trench Coat or my particular favourite, a Nursery to Nobu, Classic Navy Blue Coat both of whom are making cameo appearances in just about every fashion outlet and Catwalk this season. Did they ever really leave? Which is why I’m betting that some of you will be foraging in your closet’s for  a reunion with clobber that you already own. There are many permutations and prices to consider. I was impressed with a few takes on this item, in particular, simply because they are pretty classical examples and won’t wrestle the rest of your outfit for superiority. The first one is to be found in Zara and is featured in the above shot. It’s a very gorgeous Granite Grey and is very sophisticated if you will, but equally happy to be edgy if coordinated with more subversive items of clothing, if you won’t.

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Sun Shiny

TOPSHOP, Highlighter,eye shadow,glow, iridescence,illuminator

Look what I’ve found to shiny up your life. These little darlings are compatible with all skin colourings, and contours. Just choose a pretty place on your face and smudge them on. They are TOPSHOP treats,and are winners  all the way on the quality, price and fun spectrum.

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