Looks I'm loving

Today marks a first for Lost & Found - today's look comes courtsey of a man. That's right, you heard me. 

Now, The Boy in my life does not care so much for fashion (as was recently documented in Tesco magazine) but that statement couldn't be further from the truth for Adam Gallagher, an incredibly stylish 21-year-old mens fashion blogger and stylist from California. I came across Adam's look on Lookbook, loved what I saw and wanted to share some of his looks with you here today.

Adam has developed his own sense of style that seems to grow on a daily basis - with each look drawing different inspirations from the last - here's some of my favourites.

 All images by Adam Gallagher

Read Adam's beautiful blog, I AM GALLA, here.

My week in photos 17

The past couple of weeks have been pretty stressful. Starting with a week packed with not one but two migraines with aura (they are quite the party let me tell you) and followed by a hectic few days at work when my MAA was on holiday. Basically meaning lots of late nights and early mornings, what fun for me.

I have somehow managed to find time to fit in quite a bit though. Last weekend The Boy and I went for dinner at the home of our close friends Dan and Kim, in Hither Green. We ate stew with dumplings, watched Ten Things I Hate About You and had a lovely catch up. It was the perfect release after such a horrible few days which mostly revolved around throwing up, and not being able to see or feel my arms. I must confess, I did break dry January by having a glass of Prosecco but believe me I needed it. If I hadn't had a drink I would have probably spent most of the evening worrying about having another attack and being sick in their bathroom (which would have made a nice change).

A very snowy Gardens

We awoke to a thick blanket of snow and after a breakfast of bacon sandwiches we set off back to Kensington. I love London in the snow. The city is quiet and still and, I don't know if its just me, but everyone just seems to get more friendly. We spent the afternoon in the garden, which was surprisingly child free (although evidence of their creativity was everywhere), having snowball fights and taking photos, it was blissful. 

  Clockwise from top left: Poached eggs and black pudding on toast - My latest read - Selfridges - wrapped up against the cold - Winter berries - All quiet in the Gardens - Snowmen galore - Date night-in with The Boy

2012, the year gone by

2012 seemed both long and short at the same time, filled with spectacular moments of joy and sadness - but mostly, I loved it. Better late than never, here's a recap of some of my highlights.

Clockwise from top left: A trip to Dublin - Going on an egg hunt - A blustery day in Brighton - Climbing to the top of Glastonbury Tor (which I hope to do again this year) - The Hobbs AW12 press day - The Boy's birthday - The Nelly launch party with my wonderful girls - My very first homemade trifle

Clockwise from top left: Anti-gravity yoga (the most hilarious form of exercise ever) - Drinks on the rooftops of London town - All things Jubilee - A sunny day in Richmond - Rollarcoasters with Zsa for The Boy's birthday - Canoeing with family and friends - A trip down the river - The work Jubilee lunch

Clockwise from top left: A gorgeous wedding in France - Ballgowns at the V&A - A fantastic family holiday - Seeing the Swans of Wells - Sunrise over the gardens - Picnics in the park - Olympic fever comes to London - Welcoming the Olympics with drinks and dancing...on a boat

 Clockwise from top left: Miss Kimber becomes Mrs Holloway - A sunny trip to Bicester - Another amazing wedding - The Shining in West Brompton Cemetary - The most amazing birthday cake ever - Bobby and Caroline tie the knot - Afternoon tea for my birthday - A disastrous (but hilarious) cocktail making class

Clockwise from top left: Running the Royal Parks Half Marathon - Sheep on Oxford Street for Wool Week - My last night with the Hobbs girls - Wells carnival - Christmas in Manchester- The gift I've waited all year for - Grandad's 90th birthday - The Boy and I, ready for our close up

Sorry for all the pictures but 2012 had so many magical moments it was hard to narrow it down to only a few!

Looking ahead to Spring

It's hard to believe, as the snowflakes fall softly outside, that Christmas Spring is just around the corner, but if the magazines and shops had their way we'd be fighting through the blizzard to hit the high street to pick up our warm weather essentials. After all, you never know just when that elusive heatwave will hit.

As you all know, I'm not shopping at the moment (and it's going very well) so no amount of newness splashed across the fashion pages can tempt me to part with my hard earned cash. But that doesn't mean I haven't been spotting some gorgeous new trends I'm keen to try - and some beautiful pieces I'm hoping may still be around when the shopping ban is over.

Mango is a brand I don't immediately gravitate towards and I'm not sure why. It may be because in a similar way to Zara, they don't shout about their new collections or offer lots of discounts and promotions. They simply whisper about the amazing items they have in store and this can sometimes mean they become drowned out by other retailers on the market. Which is a shame, because whenever I do venture inside or online, my shopping basket is often full before I have a chance to say "What brand is this again?".

Mango have done it again for Spring with a collection full of gorgeous textures and fabrics that scream expensive but have a budget friendly price tag. Here are a few of my favourite looks from their most recent catalogue.

 All of these items can be purchased at Mango.com

A Saturday stroll

Last weekend Zsa Zsa and I decided enough was enough, we needed a girls day in order to catch up, de-stress and reboot for the week ahead, so we set off for a day of fun in our city.

I'd been wanting to catch the Tim Walker exhibit at Somerset House for months and, knowing it would be right up Zsa Zsa's street too we arranged to meet there for a spot of Saturday morning culture.

The ice skating was still pulling in the crowds, even though the festive season is well and truly over, but luckily the exhibit was eerily quiet, meaning Zsa and I could drink in the beautiful images almost undisturbed. As predicted Zsa loved it as much as me and after spending an hour taking in the gorgeous imagery we took a walk along the river. The day was crisp and wintery, perfect for a wander along the Thames path to build up an appetite for brunch.

We walked as far as the Kings Road, engrossed in conversation, where we headed straight to one of our favourite eateries, Le Pain Quotedian. We sampled the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs (delicious) with cups of fresh mint tea and mugs of hot chocolate and continued our usual rambling. It was a great day (what day spend walking, talking and eating with your best friend isn't?) and a wonderful start to 2013.

Looks I'm loving

Today's look comes courtesy of Rachel Marie Iwanyszyn, a 24-year-old aspiring model from Chicago. 

Those who follow this feature will know I'm a fan of all things retro inspired - particularly hats, and Rachel Marie's look pretty much epitomises all that I love about seventies hippie style. Here's some of my favourites of Rachel Marie's ensembles.

All images by Rachel Marie Iwanyszyn

Find out more about Rachel Marie over on her beautiful blog, JAG LEVER or take a peek at some more of her looks over on Lookbook.

No Noise at Selfridges

On Thursday I ventured back to my old stomping grounds, Oxford Street. This week saw the release of our SS13 collection so I made the most of a quiet day in the office and hit the streets to check it out in some stores.

Selfridges was my first stop, so as I waited for the doors to open I got a chance to check out the latest window displays by this retail giant. After the hustle and bustle of 2012, when the store had many an eclectic VM display theme (all things British for the jubilee, not your average Christmas, and an explosion of spots for Yayoi Kusama's collaboration with Louis Vuitton) the store has decided to go back to their roots and reintroduce an element of calm to the shopping experience with their No Noise campaign. 

Not only has the store opened The Quiet Shop selling de-branded merchandise from major brands such as Heinz, Clinique, Creme de la Mer and Levi's but they've also introduced the Silence Room, where shoppers can take a load off and truly take a break from the craziness of central London. Visitors are asked to drop off their mobile phones and shoes on arrival in order to truly appreciate all the space has to offer and I have to admit, I think this is a fantastic idea. The Boy doesn't care so much for shopping and there has been many, many, an occasion when a room such as this would have been the perfect solution to my shopping woes (i.e. watching him have a full tantrum in the footwear department of Next over my wanting to buy a(nother) pair of boots).

Alas, I needed to get back to the office so didn't get a chance to checkout the de-branded products myself (I hope to next time I'm in town) but here's a selection of pictures of the window displays which I must say I adored.

 Find out more about the No Noise campaign here.