Inspiration; Where does it come from? Magazines such as Vogue? Topshop's window display? Celebrities new looks? Family? Friends? Style Icons?

I would say all of the above. I think inspiration for fashion and style comes from everywhere, especially if you are someone like me and constantly on the lookout. As a drama student  i was lucky to be surrounded by constant inspiration in art, theatre, people and the costume department! What i feel is most important when looking for inspiration for an outfit or a new season must have, is not to mistrust your own judgement. If your not going to wear it, or its not going to suit you….then don't buy it (even if seven magazines are telling you its fabulous). You must have an awareness of what is right for you and spend some time searching around to find it. I guess what i'm getting at is the art of personal styling, finding the inspiration from the current trends and suiting them to you, just because fetish/S&M is a A/W '11 trend doesn't mean we should all buy leather all in ones and chokers….it is just inspiring us to re insert sexy style back into our wardrobes as well confirming that black is back, in a big way!  

As a lover of colour and a an avid supporter of the colour block S/S '11 trend, going back to black was a rather hard transition for me so i decided that for me i would indulge in this trend through some H&M wetlook leggins and return to my faithful black stilettos from Office. These matched with anything would add the sexy element to the outfit, yet avoiding the crisis of over styling!

Alexander McQueen's A/W 11 collection, embracing everything from fur, leather and lace up stilettos to fully commit to this trend.

A big inspiration to for me are members of my family, my Mother, Grandmother and Nanny. My Nanny in particular has always been the fellow clothes lover in my family and the person who really inspired me growing up. She is a woman of classic style, she always looked immaculate, elegant and sophisticated. It was her who told me that my birth stone was diamond and that it was extremely fitting as i had always been obsessed with anything glittery or expensive growing up! Her style does really come from the classic hollywood era or Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, figure heads in all things chic and classy. Their simple cuts, shapes and colours resounded in feminine glamour and created a real impression on the women of the time. In an interview with Jill Taylor, from thevintageseekers.com, about the costume selection in the new Marilyn Monroe film, Jill comments that "She was a Calvin Klein girl before there was Calvin Klein." Marilyn knew how to show off her femininity in a classy yet sexy way. 

Marilyn Monroe in her classic day wear.

Grace Kelly looking chic and glamourous 

Audrey Hepburn in her classic black silhouette. 

Grace Kelly glamour, the height of elegance.

Marilyn taking one for the team! Always  keeping her feminine glamour with highwaisted figure hugging shorts and of course HEELS! 

Audrey looking classic and feminine in a simple shape and print. 

The white oversized shirt, a classic sexy look that will always  capture style at its finest.

Grace Kelly in a chic white blouse  and red lips, sexy and elegant.

One of my favorite pictures of Marilyn, so elegant yet vulnerable. 

My Nan, in the same way that these famous women also did, taught me that dressing up and using clothes as a way of expressing a part of yourself could be done all the time. She continues to always look her best, although she has now hung up her high stilettos, in an effortless way and it is that which to me is most impressive. She has been a great inspiration to me, and reminds me that style is always about confidence and simplicity. As Alexander McQueen said "British fashion is self confident and fearless. It refuses to bow to commerce, thus generating a constant flow of new ideas whilst drawing of British heritage" (Alexander McQueen in British Vogue Oct 2011)