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Thursday 6 November 2014

Can I wear tracksuit bottoms for a meal out? And a few sparkly purchases...


"Can I go out to dinner wearing my tracksuit bottoms?" I asked the family last night. It was our wedding anniversary and I was taking counsel from other family members because, as much as I love going out to dinner, I like being comfortable even more. "Not unless you want to look like a chav and only if you're going to McDonalds" was the general consensus so I cheated and replicated the look in a more acceptable way with luxe track pants from Topshop and the Victorie top from Reiss (£89). Taking a photo at the end of the evening minus lippy and minus most accessories is not generally a good idea but hey ho, you know how these things go.


It was the first time that I had put the Reiss top through its paces and it did the job it was designed to do well, namely keep me warm, look slightly fancy but not too fancy and not cling anywhere that I didn't want it to. This top was way more than I would normally pay but after having a good wardrobe clear out, there was a gaping hole for tops and having tried it on and having deliberated for quite some time I concluded that it would serve me well over the years.


And here's another crappety crap crap photo but again, hey ho, you know these things go. I don't like all this clock changing business. There's just no time to get any snaps during the week. The early morning ones are blue and the evening ones - well there's no point taking any. Luckily our son's school finished at 1pm today, so that was good of them.

Anyway, the reason for the photo was to tell you about the slim cropped pants from GAP (£34.95). I've had these for longer than I can remember but I seem to recall that at one time they were too loose to wear so I put them away. Thankfully my new found addiction to M&S cashew nut butter has resolved that particular problem and now they fit really well. They are so comfortable and a great length with trainers - just enough ankle flash to work but not so much as to be cold. Best of all they are  95% cotton, 5% elastane and they are machine washable. At £34.95 they are a great price too and having felt the Joseph equivalent a few seasons ago, I wasn't convinced that there was anything in it.


And now a couple of snaps of things that I picked up today in preparation for a style event next week. First off some bags from New Look (£22.99). I love this black back pack. It's a sharp shape with simple styling and a great place to start for anyone contemplating one. It also comes in burgundy and with burgundy/claret/ox-blood being such a big trend this season, it's an easy way to tap in to that trend too.


You can't beat a good sparkly bag for the evening but there's no need to spend a fortune on one. These sparkle box clutches are also from New Look.


Finally, most converse lovers will probably know about the leather ones that they do in the winter but for those who don't, these metallic ones from Schuh (£60) are just great. They go with everything and offer a little more warmth and protection that the canvas ones. I love the returns policy at Schuh too - it's a whole year. Can't argue with that.
 

I have a house full of goodies so I will share one or two of my other fabulous buys over the next few posts.

Tuesday 4 November 2014

A sparkly skirt, shiny shoes and a silver bag for a day in the shops...



Boden jacket, Warehouse jumper, Topshop skirt, Dune shoes, Oushka bag, H&M necklace
 
When a friend and I were out running last night we were talking about clothes. I know. Shock horror, can you imagine that?  Amongst many topics we discussed, we were talking about how re-working older pieces with newer bits and bobs can make all the difference.  
 
Today I was working with a lovely lady for a third time. Knowing what a fan she is of all things sparkly, I wore this navy sparkly skirt which I bought from Topshop last year. It's not old but not new either, so it sits somewhere in the middle. However I have had the navy Boden jacket for about four years now and the Warehouse navy jumper with sparkly shoulders, for even longer. The Dune shoes are new this winter as is the (much used) silver bag - so it really was a case of mixing something old with something new and a few bits in between. 

I knew that it wouldn't be long and at last the Christmas jumpers have started to arrive in the stores. The Primark ones have been around for a while and I love the one in the men's section with the built in Santa belly. However luckily it's just been pipped to the post on my list of "Desirable Christmas Jumpers" by this Warehouse sequin Robin jumper (£42). I know that there are Christmas jumper detractors but I LOVE them and anyone who doesn't is, and I know I'm going out on a limb here, is a misery pants.


When I was getting dressed this morning for some reason my printed scarves from the last few years just didn't appeal to me. I'm not sure what it was and no doubt they will again but I think that it's because secretly I'm harbouring a desire for a fur scarf. The trouble is that most of the ones that I have seen in magazines have been hugely expensive but then I came across this one in  Next (£20) and somehow everything just fell into place. So that's one for the Christmas list then.


I'm back in the shops again tomorrow and for the rest of the week so I'll keep my eyes open for some other gems.

Sunday 2 November 2014

Something to banish the Sunday night/Monday morning blues...

I've said it a million times and I will probably say it a million times more but I'm a huge fan of a coloured coat for the winter. There are so many dull, dark days during the winter months that it's lovely to see a bright pink, blue, red, yellow or coral coat.

In this post I'm taking a look at blue coats. I've seen lots of them on my travels over the last few weeks and months and there are some great ones to choose from.

French Connection has two of my favourite blue coats. There's this imperial wool coat (£169) which I used  on a model at a style event a couple of weeks ago. It has a great depth of colour to it so is easier to wear than some of the lighter blue shades. It currently has  20% off with Grazia (OCTFC20 which continues until midnight on 2 November


This French Connection oversized wool coat (£225) is a lovely soft blue. It's more oversized than the style above so arguably may have a shorter shelf life but if you're after a coat in the shape of the season, this could be a winner. The wide collar and simple styling are also a nice touch.


The Great Plains wool funnel neck coat (£120) is a real gem. It is slightly oversized without being swamp like and the funnel neck is a real winner. It has a strong nod to the 60s trend which is so big this season and as with anything that is based on a style from times gone by, it won't date - because it already has, albeit in a way that is trendy once again - if you get my drift.


Despite the oversized styles that dominate at the moment, lots of ladies still prefer a fitted style of coat, feeling that it is more flattering and waist defining/bust minimising - which quite often it can be. Sometimes with fashion trends there's a trade off between wanting to wear something that is new, fresh and different vs wearing a shape which is known to be flattering. The classic example is the trade off between boot cut jeans, which tend to be more flattering on lots of women, vs skinny jeans which are more modern. Some things can be styled in such a way as to overcome their limitations and sometimes all that is needed is a period of adjustment and time to get used to a different look.  So really what I'm saying is don't rule anything out - not without giving it a proper try first as that's how we get stuck in a rut.

However if it's still not possible to get one's head around a looser shaped coat, the Boden Ingrid Coat (£179 down to £143.20) has a semi fitted style so it may tick all of the right boxes.


This Country Casuals blue fold collar coat (£249 but currently with 20% off) has a clearly defined waist and is also has a nice detail across the back, also adding to it's shape. It's one of the few double breasted styles out there at the moment and in the flesh it's a really pretty blue shade. I was quite surprised when I came across it in CC but in actual fact they had quite a lot of nice clothes (don't tell anyone I said that!) I like looking at lots of different brands as without fail, all brands have some great pieces - even if only a few - and all brands have some rubbish pieces. The weight of some of their dresses, particularly their wrap dresses, is really good. Far better than equivalent priced brands, or even those that are more expensive. They also have a fairly extensive petite range.




Warehouse also has a couple of options. There's the brushed drawn hair coat (£95) which currently has  25% off with this week's Grazia. Having said that there aren't many double breasted options look at this - another double breasted option. Lovely colour, nice fabric and a good price with the discount.  


Or there's the Warehouse boucle coat (£85) which obviously has more of a texture to it. I'm not entirely convinced how well this one will wear given its finish but it's worth taking a look at it to see how the fabric sits once it's been tried on and rubbed over a couple of times - not that I'm suggesting that anyone should go and try clothes on and give them a hard time before deciding whether to buy them or not.


Lastly Coast has this Soho Crombie Coat (£175) which is a lovely mix of a classic style but with a modern edge, thanks to the zips above the pockets. I think that it would work just as well for work as it would with jeans and trainers at the weekend.

 
So, what d'you reckon? Is anyone tempted by a blue coat of any shade at all? My Boden spotty blue coat, now heading into its 9th winter, may well be making an appearance sometime soon.

Friday 31 October 2014

Wimp! There were children on the beach in shorts and t shirts so what on earth was I doing in a scarf and hat?!

 

Well this is a random outfit if ever there was one! It was our son's 13th birthday and one of his chosen activities for the day was to go crabbing off the pier. Although it's sheltered where the house is in Wales, many times I have been lulled into a false sense of security and when I've reached our destination, I've been freezing cold and blown to bits, so on this occasion I was prepared. I liked the light on this photo - it looks all LA but the outfit looks anything but!

Granted I did feel slightly daft when there were children on the beach in only shorts and a t-shirt but I was glad of my Zara scarf (shoved into the bags at the last minute because it's warm and I like the colour) GAP hat (ditto but with even less thought as to colour) Jules wellies (just because I didn't want to risk trashing my suede "Harry Styles" boots, rather than because I was going to get wet) M&S sunglasses (found at the back of a drawer in the house in Wales presumably left here because I'm such a non-sunglasses kind of person that I never have them when I need them. Like today when I forgot to take them out with me.) And clearly as I put most of it on after getting out of the car and without the benefit of a mirror I look like a bag lady but there's nothing wrong with a bit of bag lady chic.


When the sun shines here it's just beautiful!


Three crabbing lines, three buckets, three nets - three happy children (and 24 crabs)!

Thursday 30 October 2014

Updating a piece from last winter with bits and bobs bought over the summer...


Jack Wills shirt, Dune boots, New Look jeans, Topshop T-shirt, Accessorise bracelets.

As I think is pretty obvious, I don't do glamour in Wales. Not that it's not a glamourous place - far from it - have you seen Catherine Zeta-Jones, or Katherine Jenkins, or Catherine Middleton? (OK so she's not strictly Welsh, in fact she's quite possibly not Welsh at all but she's married to the Prince of Wales' son and she lived on Anglesey for a while). No, it's just that a) I am always under instructions to "pack light" which means that everything has to work together and b) we tend to be walking on the beaches, lighting fires, crabbing off the pier and chilling at home, so heels and dresses don't really fit into my lifestyle over here.

Now let's face it, a checked shirt is never going to set the world on fire but checks are a huge trend this season - from scarves to shirts, to coats and even shoes. Here are a few of my favourite checked pieces this season:

Warehouse checked cape £30 which I really like as it's a relatively inexpensive way of adding something to your wardrobe which is warm, practical and which will give a lift to an existing jeans/coated jeans and boots type outfit.


This Jigsaw cropped checked shirt (£59) is 100% cotton and comes in burgundy, which is having a huge revival this season, or blue. Easy to wear with black, blue or grey, it's a nice alternative to a denim shirt for a weekend look - especially for those who aren't fans of double denim.


And at New Look there's this orange checked scarf for £9.99 which I first spotted on a friend who was out watching the half marathon. She observed that only I would notice a scarf after 11 miles, the last of which was uphill, but it was so lovely and I was so desperate for a distraction from the discomfort that it was a welcome sight (as of course, was she.)


And the orange scarf sort of leads me on to this beautiful orange sky which greeted me a couple of mornings ago, having been woken earlier than I would like to have been by the youngest.


All of which completely misses the point of this post which was to talk about how things that you may have added to your wardrobe over the summer, can be used to re-work pieces that you may have had last winter.

In the above photo I've added in my favourite Topshop yellow T-shirt and a stack of bright bracelets from Accessorize, both of  which pick out the colours in the shirt. It's not revolutionary but it's worth having a rifle through your wardrobe, taking out something that was OK last winter but perhaps not quite as it should have been and see what else you can add to it to make it work a little better - or in a different way. Just a thought for a rainy afternoon!

I love this jumper which I've seen on several people. I think that there's something wonderful about wearing a jumper with 1970 written on it....unless like me you happen to have been born in that year - in which case it's not necessarily something that I would choose to advertise.


Wednesday 29 October 2014

If ever an excuse was needed to wear (high street) cashmere....


Outfit: Cos jeans, Next shirt, Dune boots, H&M jumper
 
This was the fourth  attempt at what transpired to be terrible photos so please forgive me. I know, I should be sacked as a blogger! The first ones were taken inside and were so orange, as a result of the roaring fire that we didn't really need but which the pyromaniac 12 year old wanted to light, that I looked like I'd turned into Katie Price. The second lot were taken with the youngest indoors and me outdoors, so that she didn't get wet but they were so dark that everything that I was wearing looked black. The third lot had bags of rubbish in the background and the fourth lot (above) well I don't know what the six year old had been on but I wouldn't mind some. Hic!

The purpose of the outfit - so far as there is one - is to fill you in on the H&M cashmere jumper (£49.99) which I bought a few weeks ago. There's lots of high street cashmere around from H&M, to M&S, Boden, Jigsaw and Tesco. Last year I had a grey cashmere jumper from La Redoute and it was great, so it's not something that you need to spend a fortune on. Although having said that, all of my cashmere is high street so I don't really have a comparison to make and maybe others would disagree.

I really like the colour of this jumper and its slouchy fit and our youngest likes me to wear it when I give her a cuddle before bed because she finds it so soft. So that's a fantastic excuse for wearing cashmere if ever there was one! But seriously, for anyone who finds wool too scratchy or stiff, cashmere could be the answer. In fact Mr SG is wearing a cashmere jumper today and he never wears jumpers because he hates how scratchy there are and for someone who could not give one jot about clothes, that is praise indeed.

Monday 27 October 2014

A wardrobe staple to take you from daytime to dinner out....


Outfit: Adidas trainers, Cos jeans, Mint Velvet top

Most of my wardrobe is made up of staples with a few other bits and bobs added in each season. Cream is a neutral colour that I can wear without it draining the life out of me and I'm always on the look out for a versatile cream top. Throw in some lace too and it's got my name written all over it. Stripes, sequins, neon, navy, cashmere and denim have also been known to do it for me on occasion!

I first saw this Ivory lace top Mint Velvet back at the end of the summer but at £79 it was more than I had in mind to pay. And then in John Lewis last week I came across it in the sale, reduced to £55. I had a good think about it and came to the conclusion that it was worth the investment. It's slightly longer than some tops I have which means that it offers a bit more bottom coverage (always useful) and although I like a white shirt, on occasion I feel much more comfortable in something like this - it's just a little less trussed up and formal. 


 
I would offer some alternatives but we're on holiday in Wales this week, without wi-fi, so I'm keeping it brief. Sorry!

Friday 24 October 2014

Keeping my promise to myself to keep wearing this Whistles wardrobe workhorse!


Keeping my promise to myself to wear my Hana utility dress from Whistles as much as possible, here I'm wearing it for the second time this week.

I wanted this dress to be a wardrobe work horse not only to justify its expense but also because it's the type of dress that I could wear for a multitude of different events - so I just need to make sure that  do!

For the daytime it's easy to throw on in the same way that I might wear a pair of jeans. Just so as to ring the changes slightly with this outfit, I layered a Jigsaw long sleeved top underneath it. It would work equally well for the evening though minus the striped top but with plenty of bracelets and leopard print, or sparkly, heels. And most importantly of all, it's warm!

Wednesday 22 October 2014

From double denim to double fur - from Zara and Whistles

 

Today seemed to be the perfect temperature to wear this Zara fur (sleeveless) coat that I bought last year. I've been holding off from wearing anything that was too wintry but the temperature suddenly dropped this morning.

Keeping in tone with the navy/black colour combo I wore it with a Cos roll neck jumper, navy Cos trousers and some furry (actually I think the technical term is pony skin) loafers from Whistles which I bought with the 25% Grazia discount a few weeks ago - although they don't seem to be online anymore.  It was great until I actually got into the shops, at which point I was baking.


A lovely friend of mine bought these flowers for me a couple of days ago and I just thought that they would be nice to share with everyone on these darker, colder days. Hope that you all enjoy them....


Did anyone else hear India Knight on Woman's Hour this morning? I had a client coming down from Durham today so I was heading towards the shops slightly later than usual. India was talking about her new book which is all about with growing older.
 
One of her tips was not to be too thin as it makes people look Simian like. Wondering to myself whether I looked slightly monkey like (short hair and no longer with the chubby cheeks I sported as a child/teenager, although fortunately without the ears that my Dad has) and what with my furry number too, I decided that it was a distinct possibility. And then as I went down the ramp into the car park a huge monkey appeared on the screen in front of me. And you know what, I decided that it was like looking in a mirror, which made me laugh - a lot. I'm surprised that I wasn't whisked away....to the zoo.

Tuesday 21 October 2014

A few old favourites....plus some new(er) trainers


I was shopping all day yesterday and after my race the day before, I decided that my toes needed  a little bit of tlc. Oddly nothing really ached afterwards - keeping on the move definitely seemed to help - but nonetheless I wasn't convinced that six hours of heels would have been a good idea.

Sometimes firm favourites are a good place to start for an outfit and whilst these don't quite fall into the category of clothes that I've had since our (nearly) sixteen year old was a baby, they've been around for a good few years now.

So starting with the trousers, these wide leg ponte fabric trousers from Jigsaw are five years old now, the Oasis cream leather jacket must be about the same and the Topshop blouse too. My Marc Jacobs handbag was a 10th wedding anniversary present, so that's nearly 6 years old now. The newest addition are the Stan Smith trainers - comfortable to the end! So it's not always about new things - not at all - rather it's more about buying pieces in shapes that never really date. Not high fashion, just good quality staples.

And whilst we're on the subject of washing - which I seem to have been of late - today I made real progress. That was until I saw 6 year olds teacher at the chapel doors just before a Harvest service. "Oh" she said "Your daughter was a star today." Words which always start the bells ringing. "She tripped whilst carrying her lunch and ended up with it all in her lap. So then she went to get some more and slipped again. Yes, she was covered in baked beans, cheese, jacket potato and custard." So guess what's whizzing around in the machine as I type. One day I'll get there...

Sunday 19 October 2014

Double denim and a statement necklace

 
[New Look jeans, Dune boots, Gap top, Boden jacket, necklace pressie from friend]

In my last post I wrote about just managing to hold things together on the home front and how I knew that, when I'd left the wet washing in the basket for so long that it went stinky and it had to be re-washed, it was time to have a few days off from blogging.

Well a friend made me feel much better because she said that they couldn't actually do any washing in their household because they had run out of washing liquid. And things weren't looking too good on the loo roll front. Glad to hear that I'm not alone.

Today I ran the Birmingham half marathon. I don't think that I was actually overtaken by the smurf but at times it was close and getting around the Sumo wrestler was tricky but do-able. I wanted to say a huge thank you once again to all of you who donated to Cancer Research UK and also to friends and people I know who cheered along the way. It all made a huge, huge difference at times when things were hard.

After the race we headed to Pizza Express to re-fuel. Mr SG had dropped in to the pub after cheering me on so was unable to drive which meant we were left with the choice of walking there: "It will be good for you, you're meant to keep moving after a race aren't you?" (Mr SGs helpful contribution to the discussion), or with me driving.  Oddly at that stage walking didn't hold any great appeal. The above shot is what I wore when we went out - flats and all manner of stretchy, comfortable things.


A grainy shot of me at mile 12 doing some bizarre hand gesture of the waving variety - I think! 

Thursday 16 October 2014

A little (warm and comfortable) winter white day dress from Hush

 

Apologies for the leave of absence. When things start to get out of hand (and by that I mean when there's wet washing that hasn't made it on to the line for so long that it's gone stinky and needs washing again) then something has to give - and that something has to be the blog. Obviously I need to keep feeding the children, keep the house in a state which is semi-hygienic and then there's work to do too. Can you believe that in the last few days I've had 14 great outfits in the house all of which have been unpacked, hung up, used on the catwalk, packed up and returned to John Lewis without me even photographing one piece?  Now that's bad. Really bad.

So today I'm just doing a quick outfit post. In the pic above I'm wearing the Hush quilted sleeveless dress (£45).

Let's guess why it appealed to me. Could it have had something to do with the word "quilted" in the description? My heat radar had it being in its sight as a dress which, despite being sleeveless, could still be warm enough to wear in the winter (indoors of course and with the heating on full blast). And I wasn't disappointed. It's soft and comfortable too. And the texture of it reminded me of a sofa that I had made when I bought my first house. Which is obviously as good a reason as any to like a dress. Isn't it? Plus I love winter white/cream. It's just, well, bright and happy really.

I'm wearing it with a textured Reiss blazer and heeled loafers. When I get a chance I'll play around with necklaces etc but for now I thought that I would show it to you in its "naked" form.


Monday 13 October 2014

A chance to win a £1000 Jigsaw voucher with their #styleandtruth campaign


 
Jigsaw's latest campaign is all about celebrating fashion and they've asked people to help spread the word. As there's the potential for one of you out there to win £1000 to spend at Jigsaw, hopefully you will all think that this is a good idea!

Jigsaw are trying to build a picture of what style looks like in the UK. It’s about women coming together to show off their sense of style, be it bold and alternative or classic and demure, rather than pushing trends.
 
By sharing your look with the #StyleandTruth the image gets pulled into the Jigsaw style gallery and there's a chance to win £1000 to spend at Jigsaw.
 
You can check out the gallery and submit a look at style & truth and you can learn more about the concept and the campaign here - which I personally like because it's just that little bit different. Good luck - I'd really love one of you to win it!

Saturday 11 October 2014

Some lovely Jigsaw staples - and what does Jeremy Clarkson know about anything?!



Firstly thank you so much to those of you who have donated to Cancer Research UK via my Just Giving page. I am so grateful to you and totally over emotional about the whole thing, to the point that I will probably drag my way around the half marathon course like a heaving, snotty, blubbering wreck - which let's face it isn't really going to help anyone. So thank you for your support.


As to Thursday's event at Jigsaw (a store which was first introduced to me at law school in Chester in 1991 and I've been a fan ever since, so it was heaven for me to be working there) we had a fantastic time and thank you to those of you who came.  I didn't manage to take any photos so instead I've pinched the top pic from twitter. I managed to take the quick snap of the lovely labels above which were written out by one of the girls who works in the store. Apparently she used to do them all the time for the cakes in her parent's café in Kent which was good because had I done them, they would have looked like the work of our six year old.


[People ie Jeremy Clarkson (if you can call him a person) like to slate Birmingham but one thing that we do have is a beautiful Jigsaw. And let's face it, what more do you need in a City?]

We had lots of ladies there plus fizz, canapés and a raffle in support of Edward's Trust an incredible local charity which supports bereaved families; parents who have lost children and children who have lost parents. They offer counselling, holistic therapies and retreats. I went to a garden party last summer and observed the artwork of bereaved children both before, and after, counselling. Let's just say that too resulted in tears. What is it about having children that turns you into an emotional wreck?!! 

For the event I wore all Jigsaw clothes - partly my own and partly borrowed. To start off with I chose these metallic shoes - Jigsaw (£149). I have to say that they are possibly the most comfortable high heeled shoes that I have ever worn.  When I read about them, I saw that the outside was made of kid suede and the inside was kid leather - which probably explains their softness.

For anyone who struggles with finding high shoes that are comfortable I would definitely recommend trying these. Speaking from experience, one pair of comfortable heels, especially metallic ones which will go with everything, are far better than 5 cheaper pairs of shoes which are crippling.


I also wore this silk front batwing top Jigsaw (£79) which was lovely. As it has a band around the waistband, there's a little bit of "overhang" of fabric just above it which is sufficient to accommodate any other type of "overhang" that might be going on in the tummy department. Perfect for a meal out. And the batwing isn't really batwing at all, just in case anyone steers clear of them either to avoid connotations of a 1980s type, or because they have a larger bust. I would go so far as to say that this is my perfect black top.


I also wore the Jigsaw woven riding leggings (£79) which are great. Thick, supportive, with a decent rise and tight but in a good way, rather than a scary way.  


And finally I wore the large stone drop pendant Jigsaw (£49), albeit with a slightly different coloured stone and which sparkled when it caught the light.

 
For anyone on the look out for some good staples, I can definitely recommend the shoes, top and trousers. For anyone on the look out for anything else, there are some fantastic pieces from the clutch bags to the jewellery, from the cashmere hoodies to the lace party dress, the pleated skirt, the black fur swing jacket (yes lovely friend, your husband had great taste in buying that for you for Christmas - didn't he do well?!!!) to the check coat and the cropped striped sweatshirt. Jigsaw is a very tempting place right now.