Kate Beckinsale and the hazards of see-through cotton
Sheer clothing can be sexy. It can also, unfortunately, make you look like Britney Spears.
It's also one of the hazards of buying cheap cotton. To wit: I bought the cutest little strapless dress from Primark this "summer" (and I use the term loosely) - in three colours, one of them black - only to find out that each one was as see-through as Lady Diana's skirt in that photograph. Cue: getting my hands on as many pairs of flesh-coloured-yet-sexy pants as I could (thank you M&S for your lacey range). And thinking I should desperately work out more to improve my inner thighs.
The point being: it looks like Kate Beckinsale made a similar fashion purchase - buying what seemed like a common-or-garden black cotton dress, and probably not realising at the time that it was actually really rather see-through. And therefore looks really rather ugly when worn with black tights, and no vest, in broad daylight. See? A paparazzi photographer really is a girl's best fashion friend!
So, it's raining. And it's suddenly got a bit cold. But who knows, it might turn sunny again. So what's a girl to wear? Why, a parka, of course!
I popped down to New Look on Oxford Street at lunchtime today. And I can safely say that is was a veritable oasis of (brightly coloured) calm - despite it being the first day of the Lily Allen collection going on sale.
Yes, there were no Kate Moss For Topshop-style queues here today. Despite a very pretty display of models (one revolving, no less) at the entrance...
...and despite a massive picture of Lily in the window. Yes, despite New Look and Topshop's best celebrity-led efforts, it seems that Primark could be winning the battle of the high street - because Oxford Street was full of people carrying those huge brown bags of theirs (as in this picture here). Still, considering what you can get for your money in Primark, it's not too much of a surprise that those bags are so big, is it?
Another day, another reason to shop at Primark. I popped in there this weekend and picked up an array of goodies - including a scarf, a purse and a pair of sunglasses for the grand total of £6 - but what I really wanted to share was this fabulous trio of summer tops-slash-dresses.
The ridiculously colourful dress reminds me of something my mother might have worn in the '60s, if our old home movies are anything to go by. Or possibly something that Cilla Black might have worn... Well, it's so easy to get one's mum confused with Cilla Black, isn't it? And Lulu, I find. 
OK, a confession here - Melsie is actually my friend. But hey, I did bump into her in the street, so she does count ;-). I adore this new turquoise coat of hers, and those crazy pink shoes... And the reason for the big shades? Why, a rather "hectic" weekend, of course. That's my gal!
I stumbled across Danielle - who looks like Suffolk's answer to Natalie Portman - out on a lunch break in Covent Garden. I absolutely love her look - from that gorgeous gamine haircut, to the teaming of her shorts with opaque tights and cute boots.
