LFF's JOHN LEWIS SS13 WISHLIST

I'm very excited to be heading on a city break with some friends next week (including Katie from Glass of Fashion blog) to Venice. In preparation for my trip I've put together an inspiration board of SS13 styles from John Lewis that I'd pack in my fantasy weekend bag. There's printed jeans and a classic breton tee for day, paired with comfy Carvela glitter sneakers. John Lewis carry a fab range of Kurt Geiger shoes, and for after dusk I'd team this simply beautiful Coast bloom-print skirt with some on-trend white flat Kurt Geiger pumps. An over the body bags like this Mimi pink satchel is a must-have too, to keep my hands free to use my new SLR camera. What are your city break essentials? One trend that I'm finding really interesting at the moment is the evolution of the trainer from sportswear staple to fashion footwear. During London Fashion Week, the cobbles of Somerset House were hot footed across in many-a-pair of natty New Balance sneakers inbetween the shows. We have, in part, the Olympics legacy to thank for this athletic trend, which I am pretty sure has been helped along by the new super Cara Delvingne whose off-duty model look consists of 99% street/ sportswear. For a great example of how the trend can work in real-life, check out Reem of Five Five Fabulous blog who nailed the look in a leather dress/ Nike sneaker combination during LFW. It's a trend that I'm also keen to try out, so I've been perusing the net for the best trainers out there. Here's my top 6: London Fashion Week always provides me with plenty of fashionable food for thought and this year I have come away with a renewed belief that designer collections are 100% worth investing in. However, this season I noted that the way in which fashion editors are wearing designer has changed; instead of investing in timeless classics (trench coats etc) they are buying brilliantly bold statement pieces to 'fashion-up' high-street basics. With this new shopping mantra in mind, I've compiled my edit from online designer e-boutique Avenue 32 of SS13 designer pieces that will shout in your outfit. Avenue 32 stock a plethora of designer brands from well known labels like uber-designer Phillip Lim to under-the-radar collections like the super cool No.21 womens cardigans from oasap. Take Mother of Pearl's floral/stripe print culottes for example (3.), an out-there style for sure, but they looked fabulous on one fashion ed on Somerset House's cobbles teamed with a classic camel coat and black court shoes. Likewise you can't go wrong with a pop of designer neon; Antonio Marras' floral tee (1.) and Aperlai's fluro-detail slingbacks (5.) are unlike anything I have seen on the high street. Remember to invest in making a statement and you can't go wrong.