This is my favourite part of the style year…watching as the Spring Summer looks we were treated to last year filter down to the high street. It’s a worrying time for me, when some SERIOUS spending could occur, snapping up multiple imitation items, instead of  one luxury designer piece.  I keep reading in magazines that the current trend is extremely juxtaposed to my personal pattern – saving to buy one stand-out, authentic piece as opposed to lots of High Street equivalents.

(A tangent tale – I speak and teach French and was mildly shocked to find there is no one word or phrase that conveys the English meaning of High Street. High Street to us means affordable and on-trend clothing. “La Rue Principale” just means the main street in a town. The nearest equivalent I could think of was, “Des vêtements à bon marché et à la mode achetés des magasins d’une chaîne” cheap and fashionable clothing bought from a chain-store. Let me know if there is a better equivalent! TANGENT OVER)

Each item on my wish list is catered for best by a different High Street store. Richard Nicoll’s catwalk colour block dresses are beyond my means but a maxi-dress from his Topshop fusion range is within my reach. Chloé’s pastels are definitely 3 price brackets too far but Cheap Monday’s skinny lemon jeans are a bargain at £50. I could go on and on… So which tribe do you divide into – save for a single item splurge or multiple spend for less? Let me know. Also I had little response to my multi-lingual posting; if you’d like me to continue, drop me a line.

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Snow has engulfed the U.K….if you are British and the bombardment of news stories and Facebook statuses has passed you by, you are lucky. I love the snow, as most people infrequently greeted by it do…but today I was faced with my first snow-related style dilemma. Is it possible to look stylish and yet practical, whilst being pelted with heavy snowfall? I am lucky to work close to where I live, so I decided to brave the Russian winds and head to work on foot. Workwear for me is smart/casual but even this vague remit seemed impossible in the snow. My final outfit came close to a skiing yeti but it did its job and was functional in a country that has ground to a halt over the last 2 days. The Victorians seemed able to achieve this feat of style + practicality (or were they always cold but stylish?) I tentatively entered the phrase “Victorian winter muff” into Google Images (take care on Google main-page me thinks!)…but was relieved when winter hand warmers were the only items on show! It showed the sophistication of a bygone age but gave me no inspiration as far as my own wardrobe is concerned. So, I ask for suggestions. How to the nordic peoples and Russians manage it? Iceland is one of the most “it” fashion places of the last few years! Answers on a postcard please (the comment box will do!)

Random Fashion Coolness has reached the 2 year milestone. Your readership, ideas, kindness and comments are very much appreciated and spur me on…even when the day only offers me 5 minutes to myself. In the world of fashion the visual is all but on this, the second anniversaire, I would like to ask you about smell and the nostalgia it evokes. I began thinking about it only last week, as the importance of scents and smell wafted over me. Jean Paul Gaultier², is my parfum of choice and each time I spray it, I am sent to L’Hôtel du Petit Moulin in Paris. It is one of my favourite hotels, possibly in the world and I believe they use the aforementioned fragrance as a room freshener! It illustrates to me the fundamental importance of smell and the feeling of happiness, comfort and confidence that aromas can induce. So, enlighten me – what do smells mean to you and what land do they transport you to?

The demise of Wedgwood in these troubled financial times has been well publicised in the U.K. Not even an innovative collaboration with illustrator du jour, William Broome, could buoy the sinking brand. It was only after seeing William’s ceramic collection that I realised how ubiquitous Mr. Broome currently is. Where may you have seen his work before? From Topshop to Marc Jacobs, Saville Row window displays to London’s FLASH restaurant. Aside from the cool simplicity of William’s work, the main draw for me are his quirky, off-the-wall quotes; they seem to express the randomness of my thoughts! See William’s repertoire here and buy his Wedgwood collection while you still can!

The coolest fringe in music today + girl crush potential = The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Aside from lead singer Mette Lindberg’s obvious appeal, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are producing an eclectic mix of 70’s-00’s pop/electro in psychedelic technicolour, all in the vein of Burt Bacharach on acid. This combined with their intrinsic sense of style and cool, make for a very appealing band. Publicity is not something The Asteroids will need – they have been championed by Apple and have featured as the soundtrack artist in the iPod Touch add, so stardom beckons. Now all I have to ask myself, is why I can’t get away with such a cool fringe! Listen on MySpace and check out their website here. If you have any doubts about the Asteroids, take a look on iTunes at their fly-on-the-wall video – not only are they cool but they’re super nice too.

In the digital age we are all amateur photographers, sometimes too intent on capturing the moment, rather than truly experiencing it. Mr. Things of Random Coolness and I often snap away together but find the resulting photographs can represent the same event in a different light. The photographer can discover, pick out so much detail and in the days of airbrushing and touch-ups, I often wonder what I am truly seeing. A photograph by Mario Testino never feels that way. The relationship formed with his subjects seems genuine, allowing a true insight into their character. No more so is this evident than in his photographs of Kate Moss – for me it’s all in the eyes; she seems so at ease, so natural, offering us a true glimpse of her real self. The most interesting element of the photographs I have chosen above is disguise. Kate is hidden behind a mask, behind thick, haphazard face-paints…yet for me, these pictures provide a sincere and natural portrait. Mario Testino’s website is currently under construction but you can sign up to his newsletter here.

The Monday to Friday drudgery of “real life” is always tough but especially so in the winter. As you can see, the time and motivation to post has recently escaped me. Life seems a little bit more grey, your world seems seeped in darkness….and then the weekend arrives. You are given a ration of light that you are normally deprived of between 9 and 5 and a weight seems lifted off your shoulders. Colours seem more rich and visible (as unfortunately is the dust that accumulates in the darkness while you are at work.) My thoughts turn to macaroons on these cold but sunny winter days. In my mind: Sunlight + Crisp cold air + Colour = Parisian macaroons. I suddenly feel I need to dress a little more brightly and Chloé’s Spring 2009 collection comes to mind. I will never be able to afford any of the pieces from the collection but from it, I can take inspiration and be reminded of my favourite Parisian treat and feel that even in the darkest hours of winter, brightness is on the horizon. My personal favourites are Laudrée’s cassis violette macaroons, purple wonders! So if the winter obscurity is dragging you down, look on Style.com at Chloé’s vibrant upcoming palette and seek out a macaroon, of the purple variety if possible.

I am not a frequent celebrity blogger. You won’t find many, “loving what she wore” posts here. But today I felt compelled to post on, of all things, a celebrity dominoes tournament! The Hollywood Domino Tournament in NYC, held last night, brought out a certain style that I adore – 1920’s old school Hollywood glamour. I am not enamoured with the Hollywood of today; there is no sense of mystery, intrigue or inherent style. However, this charity event brought a glimpse of the Hollywood we have lost, with a sense of unadulterated elegance. Be whisked away in an air of nostalgia on Popsugar. Celeb posting endeth here. (for now anyway!)

Gwyneth Paltrow may not be adored by some “celebrity” bloggers. The reasons for which seem to involve her unwillingness to discuss her private life (something I personally understand.) Miss Paltrow has never grated on me, so when she made her first foray into the e-world, I was intruiged. GOOP is a website with newsletters collating Gwyneth’s musings on life, fashion and indulgences. The advice given is balanced and objective on topics ranging from how to help a pessimistic friend to where to eat out in London. My personal favourite and unfortunately, possibly the most vacuous was newsletter 3 Miss. Paltrow’s suggestions on how to dress well and easily. My proposition, is give GOOP a try; you may like it.