Cacharel-Inspired Preppy Moment

After a brief absence from the blog (work/holiday-related), here's what I've been drawn to in recent weeks:
1. The quest for the perfect leather skirt. The one in the image above is from Zara's TRF range and it's pleated with an A-line shape. It took some getting used to as my previous favourite was a pencil skirt from a charity shop, which I've now lost to my sister's wardrobe. The Zara skirt is an imitation leather, which makes it more pliable and soft, but it doesn't have the toughness of leather, which I do kind of miss.
2. Men's shirts. I wear a lot of these for my part-time job, because our women's versions are often too short in the body and not as wearable print-wise, and now they've become a bit of a wardrobe staple. The shirt above is a delicate floral which is something I've been trying to avoid for Spring (it feels a bit predictable), but it jumped out at me the other day as the perfect contrast to the skirt. I added the lace bow, which I made from tying a remnant of lace around the collar. I wore this with purple brogues and a large grey coat with an asymmetric hem.
3. Navy opaque tights. My mum is a big fan of these and I normally plump for black, but navy feels less obvious and wintery. She looked quite proud when I bought my first pair!
4. Rodarte's collection for SS/11. On hearing a description of this, you'd think it was hideous - imitation wood prints and a blue and white design which appears to be taken from a willow patterned plate - but somehow it really works. There's something about the 'back to nature' element of it which would make a great antidote to the neon colours which seem to be creeping back into fashion this season. I'm also excited to see Rodarte's costume designs for the new Black Swan film, which sound sumptuous.