Upon entering River Island Treasure Island, one is met with a myriad of trends - military jackets, blazers and aviator jackets. However, boasting a comprehensive collection of jackets is not the only thing the brand has ticked off its to-do list. Above are two pairs of booties that managed to score a place in my wardrobe, pre-ban. Gorgeous chunky platforms, hiking boot treads, buckles, laces and shearling. Perfection. River Island have topped Topshop.

Not the angry red spots, you understand, but the delicious clothes, shoes and accessories designed by Swedish brand Acne. A magical composite of classicism littered by edginess, the fashion house have transformed the timeless trench,  basic blazer and simple shoe for S/S 11. This analogy of merging classic pieces with edgy design is one I have learnt to build my wardrobe around. Gone are the days of Topshop prints and Primark patterns - I want simple, expensive and edgy. Acne ticks all of my fashion boxes. Check out the rest of their pre-collection to see exactly what I mean. 

Banish biker boots this season, refute the glossies' demands that legs be dressed in khaki, forget shearling cover-ups, and embrace all things glam. Wholly feminine, this bandage dress will sculpt pre-existing curves, and build them in boyish figures. Layer on pink polish, slip on a studded black bangle and strut in crushed velvet platforms.

Bandage Dress - Rare £49

Earrings - Mawi at My-wardrobe £95

Bangle - Topshop £12.50

Snakeskin skull Clutch - Alexander McQueen £925

Pink Polish - Chanel £16.50

Velvet Platforms - River Island £54.99

In one last frenzy, I scattered every fashion magazine I could grasp into my already heaving basket of press. This is photographic evidence of a final binge, my one last time, the ultimate hurrah - because, my friends, a fashion ban has been imposed. Self-imposed. 

I'm subscribed to a plethora of fashion titles: Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Marie Claire, Glamour, and yet I supplement my feast with the junk food of mag-land - the weeklies. I devour their contents, and once satiated, chuck them into my recycling bin, week after week. The bin men dread Mondays. 

Admittedly, enveloped by naivety, this little vice was once regarded as 'research' because I aspire to pen fashion copy for a style rag. However, the people witnessing my descent knew better. I am an addict.  Not a day passes without Grazia or Look poking out of my Luella handbag. Forget footprints, I leave a trail of magazines when I walk. 

However, my fashion fixation is not limited to the excessive consumption of magazines, oh no, it extends to the compulsive purchasing of clothes and shoes. See it. Want it. Buy it. The motto that has left me with bags and bags of unworn loot destined for eBay.

In a bid to quell my cravings for fashion crack, I am giving up fashion for six weeks. I can look but I very definitely can not touch. I want to truly overcome my addiction. I want to be in Waitrose and not instinctively hunt down the latest copy of Vogue. I want to see fashion, feel clothes, pair items in my head knowing that that pair of shearling booties would look oh-so-perfect with last season's parka, and then, I want to walk away. 

I'm removing my fashion-shackles. Cold turkey. Six weeks. See you on the other side... 

Enticed by discounts, I tentatively ordered three pots of polish from Models Own. Hesitantly, because for around £12 I scored three pots of varnish and a black kohl eyeliner - cheaper than Barry M and we all know how many coats of that polish is needed per nail. 

Now this brand is no Chanel - you won't earn style points by pulling one of these bad boys out of your bag, nor does it invite the same level of interest that painting your nails at your desk with Dior's finest does. However, it is good. Two coats? Job done. 

Beth's Blue frosts fingers with a hybrid of lilac and blue, Green Tea leaves one feeling leprechaun-esque and Purple Mystique, well, the less said about that, the better. It's oh-so-wrong. Good thing I smashed the bottle all over the kitchen tiles while taking photographs.  

   

Military jackets adorned with epaulettes cascaded down the catwalks at Balmain and Alexander Wang. However, the new take on the trend is a far cry from the navy textiles and brass button combo of past seasons. Instead, jackets in khaki hues are ubiquitous - both on the high street and in designer collections. Team an army-green military blazer with denim cut-offs, tuck in an oversized cream shirt, add Military booties and sling on a plaited-strap satchel. Incorporate swallow studs as a nod to the navy, and revel in the fact that you are totally on-trend in your military garb.  

Military Jacket - Joseph £450

Lace-back Shirt - Topshop £38

Denim Cut-offs - Siwy £121

Military Booties - Alexander McQueen £389

Satchel- Topshop £45

Swallow Studs - Miss Selfridge £3.50

Although it's arguably too early to be stocking up on winter attire, shearling aviator jackets - which were seen draped all over the Burberry models at London Fashion Week - are set to be big news this autumn. Every fashionista with an ounce of sense is scouring boutiques and online stores to score the 'it' jacket of next season. This Acne offering deviates from the typical tan and brown leather often associated with aviator jackets, and as such looks best paired with statement accessories - think lace-up ankle boots, a slouchy bag and a boyfriend watch. Vintage stores are also brimming with aviator-esque jackets, so if your budget is more Primark than Prada, there is still no excuse not to be sky high in the style stakes next season. 

Shearling Aviator Jacket - Acne £1,420

Silk Tee - 3.1 Phillip Lim £208

Lace-up Booties - Tory Burch £305

Black Jeggings - Current/Elliot £168

Crystal Watch - Michael Kors £375

Tote - Mulberry £595

Unarguably iconic, Mulberry bags find themselves lovingly wedged in the crook of many a fashionistas' arm season after season. Controversially, the Alexa just doesn't do it for me. Too 'it' to last more than a season, too slouchy to be considered a true classic, and to be honest, too much like your old school satchel. Now don't get me wrong, if someone offered to by me the Alexa, I wouldn't say no. I'd grab it with two hands, utter my Ps and Qs quick sharpish, and rush home to flog it on eBay. Because folks, the Bayswater is the bag for me.  

I've heard many dub the Bayswater 'boring,' 'too grown-up' and 'stuffy,' but you only have to reference the leopard print calf hair bag to refute these claims. I want.

My friend asked me to style him for our impending ball today, much to his girlfriend’s dismay - he later confided he detested the wallet she’d brought him (and had enlisted his sister to ‘buy’ him one, I say ‘buy’ because he’d actually previously picked it out himself!)

It’s no longer a strange phenomenon for guys to care about their appearance, in fact it’s readily applauded in a society where many (middle-aged) men remain grossly attached to their worn-in jeans and tucked-in shirts. I speak from experience - many of my male friends adore shopping and are keen to hop in the car with me when I announce I’m ‘popping into town’. Even my Dad knows who Marc Jacobs is. Is this not a complete metamorphosis from the unwilling males who previously detested mulling around high streets and shopping centres? If so, what’s triggered this change?

It seems men are no longer immune to the glossies - images of perfectly preened, toned, and stylish men sit on the front of every male magazine from GQ right through to Esquire. The phenomenon is unsurprising really given the impact seemingly perfect female models have on the female readers of vogue and such. Men’s attitudes to this bombardment of perfection are in fact much healthier. Whilst a women thinks she ought to diet to look perfect in those Tsubi skinny jeans, a man will not hesitate to squeeze into the skinny-fit tee Jude Law’s recently been spotted in, regardless of his physique. Men seem to realise that these unachievable standards are just that - unachievable, they therefore shrug and get on with life. Looking good to a man is relatively simple and does not require lotions, potions, and bottles of Evian. Men can literally have their cake and eat it, or rather buy their Prada and wear it. Women however, would rather have an exquisite - not to mention expensive dress - in a size too small for them, sat rotting in the back of their wardrobe acting as ‘inspiration’, than give in and buy the dress in their actual size.

Put simply, the modern woman has much to learn from the modern man, we females do not always have one up on the men in the fashion stakes. Our attitude should not be focused on improving our bodies, but rather on improving our style. Arguably some men really ought not to be wearing skinny fit t-shirts, but then women ought not be dieting to extremes. Fashion was made to be enjoyed, not a form of sadism. Love it for what it is, fun, exciting and fickle.

Working in a fashion store, I’m bombarded by women who believe their body blemishes are of a greater magnitude than the rest of mankind; this is of course simply not the case. It sadly comes as no surprise when you consider the mountains of glossies backhandedly persuading ‘curvy girls’ to cover up and berating ‘busty babes’ for wearing V-necks; explaining that what they believe to be sultry, is in fact slutty. With all these fashion minefields it’s no wonder our society consists of women conditioned to fear their own cleavage. I served one customer today who was simply aghast when her bosom was displayed in a stunning scooped-neck silk dress; she then proceeded to burst into fits of giggles before purchasing more conservative attire.

I am just as concerned with the women whose delusions feature on the other side of the scale. One customer, after trying on a top that was far too snug, had the pluck to pointedly tell me that “this large must have been labelled incorrectly” and demanded another, which to her surprise – and admittedly my delight – was even smaller than the first.

Then there are the women who flounce through the doors in skirts clearly snatched from their teen's wardrobe, with tops that exhibit their ample bellies. These are women who ask for a size ten but proceed to divulge that they’d been a little optimistic and opt for two sizes larger. These are women for whom I have more compassion. Mentally stuck in the days when their ‘perfect figures’ would allow them to wriggle into a pair of size 8 jeans with ease, these lovely ladies have yet to realise that whist they may be slightly more shapely than in their heyday, they still have great figures and just require a little help (and a liberal dosage of pride-swallowing) to display them. After all, sizing-labels can be cut out, thrown away, and never mentioned again. A too tight top will go down in history, archived by whispering colleagues whose malevolence knows no bounds.

As we ease out of autumn and creep into winter, it’s even more crucial to win the sizing-game. Although struggling into a coat in a size too small will induce feelings of ecstasy on the day of purchase; it won’t post-christmas when you’re desperate to layer your cashmere Chloe knit over a Topshop vest and slide your cover-up on top. Instead you’ll be hissing and wishing you’d bought a larger size, instead of investing in a coat that looks as though it belongs to your younger (and slimmer) sister.

The point of this post isn’t to make you feel bad about your body, nor is it intended to make you feel superior because you don’t suffer from too-small-syndrome. Instead, flaunt the bits you like, hide the bits you know you should, and stop letting magazines solely dictate what you should wear…leave that to the mirror.

Thousands of fashionistas are devastated at the cessation of trading at Luella HQ. The brand announced this morning that they were forced to discontinue trading due to the withdrawal of major investment. Luella - famed for pretty print dresses, floral blouses and impeccable bags - is far from the only brand to have fallen prey to the recession - other labels, notably Lacroix, Coco Ribbon and several other high-street brands have been subjected to similar financial crises.

I no longer know which designer will quell my handbag habit, but hope that a new backer swoops in and rescues the brand with suitable immediacy. It will be a sad day if the S/S 10 collection (particularly this stunning heart cut-out LBD) fails to go into production.

R.I.P Luella (do a Dirty Den and come back to us).

Pale pinks, nudes, and washed-out greys scream ballerina chic. Admittedly, this tee/skinny jean combo would look great teamed with a boatman shoe or studded flat; instead I've added black leather accessories with gold hardware to toughen the look. The Gian Marco Lorenzi boots encapsulate several of this season's footwear trends into one mighty boot - studs, fringing, platform. Overkill? Possibly.

This patent Luella Gisele tote is at the top of my Christmas list. I already own this and have used it to death. Luella designs my favourite bags, particularly the Gisele series; slightly less conspicuous than the Mulberry Bayswater they are classic without being too classic.

Waistcoat - River Island £24.99

T-shirt - Kain £80

Jeans - Sass & Bide £185

Boots - Gian Marco Lorenzi £779

Bag - Luella £450

Bracelet Asos £12

What's scribbled at the top of your wish list?

Fashion. One of the numerous obsessions that we females - and ever increasingly males - are devoting our time and money to. Although I disassociate fashion from style, the latter is something that evades some people, despite access to copious glossy magazines, television programmes, and t'internet. This blog is simply an account of the things I adore, after all, I spend the majority of my time - when I'm not studying (I mention this to appease my Father who believes my life consists of little more than stalking fashion), working, or with friends - looking at clothes, shopping for shoes and browsing cosmetic stores. I am not aiming to report trends, nor am I any sort of fashion authority. Instead it's more of an inspiration scrapbook, a montage of my loves.