Inspiration for chilly days

A little collection of fabulous images to inspire winter dress up.

Bright faux fur, geek chic eyewear, red lipstick.

Elaborate hair, dramatic knits, smoking without gloves.

Mannish trousers, chunky boots, cute sweaters.

Dark glossy locks, allover natural shades, shiny pleats.

Tights, socks, boots.

Monotone, texture, girly skirts.

Pussy bows, denim shirts, big jewelry.

70s styling, snakeskin, bold make-up.

Glitter, wedges, buns.

Contrasting combos, coloured tights, PVC.

Layers, woolly hats, boxy bags.

Clashing prints, messy hair, big brows.

Polka dots, tassels, twin sets.

Bunny x

THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOUR'S... LBD

Coated Lace Tutu dress by Karen Millen

A dress for a wedding: Redux

I've been away for a while - a busy summer coupled with a temporary lull in sartorial inspiration has led me to neglect my blogging - but look! I'm back. 


I've been cultivating my column on British Style Bloggers. You can see my latest offering here, where I picked the best of this year's highstreet A/W11 Lookbooks. My next treatise goes up tomorrow, so go back to BSB to check out what I'm on about this time.


Also, to support Best of the Highstreet, I've created a Flickr album, which you can view here. You see, I haven't been completely neglecting my duties! 

So, now that I've updated you on my recent activities... on with today's post.

Back in April, I got very excited about a dress I had purchased for one of the numerous weddings I've happily been invited to this year. Then, after its arrival, I tucked it away in my wardrobe for the best part of four and a half months. 

It didn't reappear until Thursday night, when I tried it on again in preparation for my cousin's wedding on Friday.

Now, I've told this story to a lot of people over the past few days and while they've all looked suitably shocked, dismayed and amused, I get the impression that at least a couple of them may have thought I was just making up excuses to go on an impromptu spree. However, I can guarantee that this really happened...

So, I try the dress on again on Thursday evening and it's see-through! Not just slightly, so that you can see my undies... you can see my belly button!! I honestly don't know how I didn't notice this quite important glitch back in the spring, but needless to say a family wedding is not the ideal showcase for such a revealing garment.

Panic sets and and I adjust my alarm clock to accommodate a morning-of-the-wedding emergency shopping trip. 

Up to the Angel I skip early on Friday and Joy comes to my rescue. I found this beautiful Louche Cosmia Jacquard Dress and ended up getting way more compliments from the other wedding guests than I think I ever would have in my cream chiffon number - even if it hadn't been transparent!

So it all worked out nicely in the end. Now I just need to get myself a slip of some sort, so the original cream dress isn't a total write-off. After all, the Christmas party season isn't a million miles away.

And how scary is that??

Bunny x

Coral, peach, taupe and black

*whispers* I've been shopping again *looks a little shifty*

I've been looking for a pair of spring/summer trousers and finally found some in the Topshop 'summer treat' sale. This lovely linen pair was only £25, reduced from £38. 

It can be tough to buy trousers online as I find it so difficult to find a good fit. Hey, let's face it... when you have short lets, a big bum and a teeny waist, even when you're in a shop it can seem like a small miracle to find a good pair of strides. 

But these fit really nicely and I'm so delighted with them. I can't wait to start experimenting with how to wear them. This evening, after opening my spotty Topshop parcel, I tried them on with a plain white vest top and a pair of green leather and wooden wedges. 

Totally cute!

Linen tapered trousers in coral

I also bought myself three pairs of colourful (apart from the black pair) ankle socks:

Textured ankle socks in peach

Pelerine ankles socks in taupe and black

There's usually some kind of deal on with underwear and hosiery, and I got these three pairs for £8.

I do love those spotty parcels.

Bunny x

All images gratefully copied from Topshop.com

Picture editing by Bunny Darke.

River Island retail therapy part II

My last post introduced two new purchases, a pair of incredible grey peep toe heels and a striped tee.

When I ordered them from the River Island website, I also bought a dark beige cotton biker jacket. It was reduced from £60 to £25 and looked really nice online.

I suspect that my first error was that it was described as dark beige. I mean... that doesn't sound too attractive as a colour, does it?

When the parcel arrived and I unwrapped the jacket from its celophane cocoon, it wasn't so great. The material was cheap and the shape was really unflattering. I didn't even try it on and I could see that!

One of the great things about ordering from River Island's online store is that you can make returns to any branch. I think this is a policy now being adopted by a lot of highstreet stores with online outlets - which is pretty much all of them, right?

Anyway, when I took my unwanted purchase into my local shop, I spotted a tee that I couldn't resist. Especially with fesitval season imminent.

How perfect??

And now it's mine.

Glastonbury kicks off for me on 22nd June. Bring it on!

Bunny x

River Island retail therapy

I'm delighted with a couple of new bargaintastic purchases from River Island - not a place I often shop, but somewhere I occasionally find a gem.

I had been lusting after these bad-ass peep toe platforms for a while, and had saved them to my favourites (yep, I do that) so that I could pop back to the website from time to time and drool over them. Then one day, out of the blue, they had been reduced from £70 to £25! 

POW! Purchase.

So into my virtual shopping bag they went, along with this simple, cute black and white striped tee, which was half price at only £7!

I'm going to a barbecue in Bristol this weekend, to which I'll be wearing both. I'm thinking of teaming them with tapered and ripped, turn-up indigo jeans and some colourful jewelery.

Bunny x

Images gratefully copied from the River Island website.

British Style Bloggers - Best of the Highstreet #1

British Style Bloggers has had a bit of a revamp. No massive changes, it has just been made a little more streamlined and accessible. Ew! Aren't they horrible business type words?? You can tell I've been working in PR for too many years! 


Instead let's say that BSB has evolved, becoming a little wiser and more mature, but remaining sweet and playful and honest at heart.


I'm once again honoured to have been given my own column - Best of the Highstreet. Each month I'll be bringing readers my top picks from our favourite shops, and sharing my flair for seeking out some bargainlicious goodies.


My first installment has just gone live, so do click on the link above and pop over to see what's on offer.


I'll give you a hint... they makes jeans out of it.

Bunny x