9 OF THE BEST: HIGH STREET SEQUIN MIDI DRESSES

It goes without saying that I absolutely love sequins (I wore this Studio 54 inspired Miss Selfridge rainbow sequin dress for 30th birthday and felt totally fabulous). This  festive season there's a big trend for a sequin midi dress, which somehow feels more modern and less try-hard than a fitted mini number.   If you want to splash out, the designer labels that do sequins best are Ashish and Halpern. However you don't actually need to fork out the big bucks given the amazing options on the high street this year. All of the below dresses available online now from some of my favourite high street stores - just click to shop (Y)

JUST ADD: 

LFF COMPETITIONS - WIN A £50 DEBENHAMS GIFT CARD

If you liked the outfits I put together for the Debenhams AW14 Blogger Style Challenge, then this is the competition for you. The go-to UK department store have kindly offered La Fashion Folie a £50 gift card to give away to one lucky blog reader. If you've yet to splash out on your winter wardrobe, £50 will slash the cost of an investment coat or new-season boots. Personally, I'd be hard pushed to decide how to spend the gift card - one of my favourite departments in Debs is the Debenhams homeware, but Todd Lynn's AW14 luxuriously tough handbag collection has also caught my attention [pictured below, modelled by Leah Weller, no less]. To enter the competition, simply put your details in the Rafflecopter ap below and either follow LFF on Facebook,  Twitter or both to double your chances of winning. The competition ends on Sunday 2nd November - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DEBENHAMS AW14 BLOGGER STYLE CHALLENGE

Debenhams are hosting a fun bloggers autumn/winter style competition at the moment, challenging bloggers to style two looks using new season trends, one for themselves + one for a fellow blogger. This is the first outfit that I put together for myself, inspired by the 'Autumn Luxe' trend. In truth I just fell in love with Coast's autumnal hued Harper skirt and designed my look around it. I am a fan of a jewel earring so that + a cherry red Mac lip are all the accessories this luxurious statement skirt needs. 

From clockwise: Warehouse black side spilt tee. Coast domenica earrings. Mac lip pencil in Cherry. Coast harper skirt. Dune pony detail dressy loafers. 

I designed the second look for my fellow blogger Katie from Glass of fashion. What I admire about Katie's sense of style is that she isn't afraid to mix and match unexpected pieces; it's that J. Crew-inspired styling aesthetic that defines her look. Katie and I often like the same clothes (we've bought the same Zara bag in the past!) but we rarely style them in the same way. In truth, I'm not as sartorially adventurous as Katie, so it was a challenge to style an outfit for her. I settled upon the 'Blue notes' a/w trend and subtly clashed prints within the look to capture her playful sense of style. So now I nominate Katie to take on the challenge too. Good luck Katie! x

From clockwise: Alice and You blue wool coat. Mood large blue peardrop earrings. Clinique chubby stick lip balm. Nails inc polish in Belgrave Place. Miss Selfridge graphic jacquard trousers. Carvela blue laurel flats. 

LFF INTERVIEWS: TODD LYNN

Recently, I was lucky enough to put my questions to fashion designer Todd Lynn following his successful autumn/winter 14 catwalk show. Todd shared some amazing insights into the development of his latest collection, including the pivotal role played by a green highlighter! Continue reading after the jump for the inside scoop on Todd Lynn AW14

LFFS TOURS DEBENHAMS OXFORD STREET WITH TODD LYNN

Did you know that Debenhams Oxford Street has undergone a fashionable little makeover? The transformation started in 2012 and officially finished this month, so the Debenhams team invited myself and a group of bloggers to check out the new-look store earlier this week.  As an added treat, we were joined on the tour by London Fashion Week designer Todd Lynn who this year joined forces with this store to launch his first Designers at Debenhams collection. Todd was a great conversationalist and took the time to talk us through his favourite pieces in the range, which was super-exciting. Like his mainline collections, the Todd Lynn edition range features androgynous tailoring, lots of luxurious leather and a monochrome colour palette broken up with a flash of carnelian red.  

.

LFF OUTFITS: THE WAREHOUSE TUXEDO DRESS

The festive season is pretty much here, so when Warehouse kindly offered me a dress to review, I knew I needed a party-ready piece. If you are struggling to find you Christmas party dress, I recommend checking out Warehouse - I think their offering is one of the best on the high street this season. I picked the black tuxedo dress - I am all about minimal and simple dressing at the moment and this piece is formal without being fussy. It also reminded me of the Victoria Beckham tuxedo dress from her AW13 collection that Diane Kruger has been seen wearing on the red carpet.

LFF EDITS: LEOPARD PRINT FOR AW13

Debenhams recently offered me the opportunity to pick a couple of pieces from their website that summed up London Fashion Week for me. Whilst the main event at LFW is what's happening on the catwalks - a big source of my sartorial inspiration also comes from off the runway - I love to style stalk the fashion editors and see what they're wearing for the shows. One key street style trend I noticed amongst the sartorially gifted this season was the heavy influence of leopard print. The pattern may be nothing new - but the way to wear it has definitely changed. Treat leopard print as a neutral basic and style it where you would previously wear a block colour: an animal print court shoe looks great with printed trouser and a pencil skirt would look modern with a Breton tee for example. I picked a lovely lightweight Warehouse sweater (no.1) and a Nine West court shoe (no.6) from Debenhams, but any of the below are great buys:

1. Brushed animal print jumper, Warehouse at Debenhams, £40. 
2. Leopard hair and leather gloves, Warehouse at Debenhams, £30. 
3. Animal skirt, Warehouse at Debenhams, £28.
4.'Lillian' pony slippers, Dune at Debenhams, £69. 
5. Leopard print watch, DKNY at Debenhams, £80.
6. Ponyhair courts, Nine West at Debenhams, £59. 

LFF EDITS: DEBENHAMS AW13 FOOTWEAR COLLECTION

I'm in the mood for all things fabulous right now - so when Debenhams asked me to edit my top 5 pairs of shoes from their AW13 collection - I found myself drawn towards a curation of colour-pop pointed toe courts. At the top of my wishlist are Dune's iridescent reptilian 'Burst' courts (no.2) - I think their appeal lies in the fact they look like they belong to Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Animal prints are a huge trend for the season and can be easily introduced into your look through accessories - try Carvela's fabulous hot pink 'Astro' courts (no.1) for an update on the classic leopard print. A metallic court is wise purchase because it will work with just about every colour palette - Call it Spring's rose gold and silver courts (no.3 and no.5) are a great buy.

1. 'Astro' heeled courts, Carvela, £120.
2. 'Burst' metallic courts, Dune, £85.
3. 'Schapp' rose gold courts, Call it Spring, £12.60.
4. 'Blazing' twisted heel court, Dune, £89.
5. 'Schapp' silver courts, Call it Spring, £31.50.