Home and Away: Olympique Lyonnais

I must start off with some major apologising for my long hiatus - uni, life, blahblah. I received Lyon as a request aeons ago and it's been sitting in the queue for weeks, waiting for finishing touches.

When France is brought up in conversation, the Eiffel tower, croissants and other calorific pastries, seductive accents, and bustling city streets are most likely some of the common images that may come to mind. We've balanced the delicacies with the perfect bold tones. Blue, white, and red are often tricky to combine, but hey, we're in one of the most fashion-forward countries in the world, where "risk" is fashion's middle name.

Of course, as the title subtly hints, these two outfits are based on Lyon's home and away kits.

To start us off, we draw inspiration from the home kit for a more casual ensemble. We're not big fans of matching our tops and bottoms but the delicate and contrasting lace patterns make it acceptable in this case to have both a lace tee and lace skirt. Nude pumps and a similarly neutral handbag help ease the eyes gently away from the lace, while we accessorize with a simple, loose strand of pearls around the neck and a fleur-de-lis inspired cuff for a splash of colour.

Flats, Bloch, £75;

Top, Topshop, £33;

Necklace, Astley Clarke, £247;

Cuff, Antonio Marras, £810;

Skirt, Moschitto, £24;

Bag, Salvatore Ferragamo, £1066

For our away inspiration, we focus on the ruched, slightly asymmetric silk dress as our centrepiece. The cream blazer is essential for a chilly night and contrasts nicely, not offensively, with the dress. The McQueen clutch has the same effect and adds a sparkle to your look. Toss on matching earrings and a cuff and you have a perfect balance of dark blue. The trapeze necklace brings a bit of structure to augment the lack of symmetry, while the two-tone heels bring a bit more excitement into the picture.

Bangle, J. Crew, £18;

Pumps, Zara, £56;

Blazer, Malene Birger, £281;

Dress, Azzaro, £428;

Earrings, Larkspur&Hawk, £94;

Necklace, Madewell, £30;
Clutch, Alexander McQueen, £1529

Home and Away: Borussia Dortmund

Hi ladies! Today we're continuing our Home and Away segment and wandering on over into the Bundesliga. We realised the other day that we unforgivably haven't featured a single German team yet, so to start us off we're bringing you two outfits for last season's champions, Borussia Dortmund. We've definitely used the recently warm weather as the inspiration for both looks!

We're starting off with the inspiration for the third kit. As the third kit is completely white, we've incorporated some of the home colours to avoid becoming a walking advert for stain removers. Crisp, clean lines and angles are what this outfit is all about. We've put cutout black wedges and a cutout black top together with simple white shorts to give a twist to an otherwise simple (and quite frankly boring) ensemble.

Although this outfit is mainly black and white, we've accessorised with slight hints of yellow in the earrings and messenger bag while continuing on the theme of angles and lines with an octagonal spin on the traditional Russian wedding band and black and white striped bangles.

Wedges, H&M, £30;

Bag, Phillip Lim, £473;

Top, Hervé Léger, £403;

Ring, Boticca, £166;

Earrings, I Found a Secret, £270;

Shorts, Delia's, £22;

Bangles, Dorthy Perkins, £3

For our home (and away) kit inspiration, we've chosen a yellow romper as the centrepiece of this look. Yes, skorts totally give off the essence of a primary schoolgirl circa 1995, but in the words of Tim Gunn, the cut of this romper "make(s) it work." It's a flawless transition from dress in the front and romper in the back, and it won't pose much of an issue unless someone can see you from both angles at once. We believe the blazer is the second most important piece of the set, as it helps fade the line between sophisticated and fun, a necessary task with the accessories we've chosen to pair with this outfit.

Black booties may give off a trashy feel when paired with the wrong clothes, but we find they're a perfect fit in this scenario. With sunny earrings, a classy gold woven bracelet, and a crisp, sophisticated tote, this look is a fun one to wear to a casual lunch or out for a day in the shops, searching for the next perfect edition to your wardrobe.

Earrings, Kate Spade, £62;

Blazer, John Lewis , £199;

Booties, Filthy Magic, £90;
Romper, Dolce Vita, £70;

Bracelet, Mango, £20;

Satchel, Phillip Lim, £564

Home and Away: Manchester City

Hi all! It's been a while since we've done a Home & Away series so today it's making a comeback in the form of two fun outfits for spring as the season begins to edge to a close. We've chosen the home and third kits of Manchester City as they're perfect colours to use as bases in spring-inspired outfits, not to mention their away kit reminds us slightly too much of AC Milan (and not in a very good way).

Starting us off is the home-inspired outfit. Casual with a bit of bling would be a good way to describe what we've put together. A simplistic blouse, a white skirt with a hint of lace, and a tote - sounds like a primary schoolteacher, no? Although the blouse and tote are both pastel, they're soft enough to be paired with a crisp white skirt and not have it look like you've just stepped out of a tornado of colours.

To spice up the look we've added a glaring pair of silvery glitter wedges and a few extra accents of turquoise and silver in the form of accessories here and there. Silver hoops and bangles are a mainstay in anyone's wardrobe, as you can never go wrong with them in any outfit, while the chunky ring and feather-patterned necklace can be used in boho chic and casual looks.

Cuff, Blue Nile, £227;

Skirt, Stylebop, £230;

Ring, Charm&Chain, £31;

Earrings, Wallis, £7;

Necklace, The Trend Boutique, £37;

Tote, Chloé, £1545;

Wedges, DSW, £31;

Blouse, The Outnet, £220

Next up we have the third kit as our main source of inspiration in the outfit. Every gal should own at least one skater dress, whether it's printed or solid coloured, as it's a nice flattering cut on just about every body type. To keep us warm in case there's a draft, we've added a cropped asymmetrical lace jacket, a funky twist to the normal cardigan we may usually pair with the dress.

As much as we love our heels, flats and a small clutch are the way to go with this casual spring day look. We certainly don't want to create an overwhelming or Frankenstein-esque essence in this outfit! Add a bit of sparkle with some gold jewelry (and a subtle reference to the home colour in the necklace) and you're good to go.

Flats, Dorthy Perkins, £18;

Bracelet, Alexander McQueen, £313;

Dress, Chiara, £9;

Clutch, Very Eickhoff, £150;

Necklace, Pret-A-Beaute, £51;

Jacket, Mango, £45

Home and Away: Feyenoord

We all have midweek match days where we want to show support for our teams but can't quite just throw on a jersey and kick back on the couch like we do on weekends. Whether it be work or a special event keeping us from our baggy and undoubtedly comfy kits, we can still lend our support from afar by coordinating our outfits to match our team colours. While these outfits were chosen with Feyenoord in mind, they can be worn for any team whose colours include powder blue or red and white.


Away: A light blue top flowing over white trousers is the very definition of simplicity. Coupled with flats and a cream clutch, this outfit is bound to be perfectly comfortable and suitable for a casual event, or even just a day at the shops. Dark blue feathered earrings and bangles add a splash of excitement into an otherwise demure outfit.


Top, American Vintage, £38;
Feather earrings, Forever 21, £2.40;
Flats, Topshop, £23;
Pants, Alexander McQueen, £173;
Clutch, Kate Spade, £110;
Bangles, Laredoute, £7.60

Home: A (beaded) red dress and white pumps is a classic combination for any semi-formal dinner or work party. The gold earrings will add a touch of elegance to any outfit, while the silver bracelet and gold clutch flashing away at your wrist are sure to catch anyone's eye. The POW! necklace is nothing but a quirky bit of fun, a reminder of the whole host of strange noises you're bound to make while watching a live match.

Dress, Jane Norman, £27.50;
Pumps, Harrods, £200;
Necklace, Hannah Zakari, £7;
Bracelet, Flannels, £60;
Clutch, Oasis, £32;
Earrings, H&M, £4