A favourite French Connection printed skirt

I can't believe that it's Friday all ready. It's all been a bit of a whirl - one child back to school on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday - one had a birthday on Wednesday, sorting out a new phone yesterday evening (amazingly it worked, so far!) and here we are.

I can't even remember which day that it was that I decided to wear this French Connection printed skirt with this very warm, but quite short, jumper from Other Stories which I can only really wear with skirts or very high-waisted trousers. But at least it gets me in to a skirt on a cold day!

Hope that you have all had a great week - getting back to normal after Christmas, reading the new editions of the magazines for ideas for your spring wardrobe or even better, sales shopping!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Boxing Day - shiny new white converse and "Robin" the jumper

 

After wearing heels all day yesterday, and with two young nephews here for the day, there was only one footwear choice for me and that was the shiny new white Converse that I had for Christmas from Schuh. Now I know that it's really uncool to keep them white and that they should be trashed asap but I plan on keeping mine as white as possible for as long as possible - even if that means using the whitener that we used on our Dunlop Green Flash trainers when we were at school.

I've known for a while that the white converse were on their way on Christmas day, together with the nephews on Boxing day, so I asked a friend of mine if I could borrow her Robin Jumper from French Connection to wear on here with jeans and a white shirt.  As I've mentioned before, he has a definite pink breast as opposed to a red one - just in case you were wondering. As he's not mine for keeps he will be flying his way back home tomorrow though, which is very sad...

Later on in the day we headed out for an emergency battery run/let's give the boys a run, trip. So, for that I swapped the converse for Seven Boot Lane Abella boots (now £120 instead of £175), GAP hat and Whistles parka.

The thought of doing any sale shopping, either in store or on-line, just doesn't appeal right now, although my sister in law has just told me that she can get 50% off at Net a Porter all year round. Eeek, that could be dangerous!

Christmas Jumpers - I wasn't going to but I have succumbed...

"Mum, could you please get me a Christmas jumper as I need one to wear at school next week. Oh, I also need a fake moustache too." This was the message that I received from our son whilst I was in London on Saturday. So this was the result - at least on the jumper front - with the photo being superbly photo bombed by his sister. Good old Primark. And for anyone who happens to be in need of a stick on moustache, WH Smith has a pack of 6.

I wasn't planning on writing a post on Christmas jumpers and then there was a discussion about them on the Radio today so I thought that I would chuck in my two-penneth worth.

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about trying to find a Christmas jumper for our eldest. I hunted high and flippin' low, finally finding one in Internacionale, which was probably about my 10th store. And now? They are everywhere! Christmas jumpers must be a multi-million pound industry in their own right. New Look even has its own page specifically devoted to  Christmas jumpers from novelty, to Fair Isle, to even quite tasteful. I have had friends order flashing ones from Asda, Primark has a huge selection and Marcus Lupfer has some which cost a few hundred pounds. Yeah, OK, maybe not.

So here are my favourite three - and very predictable they are too!

The pale blue/duck egg blue one

It was in New Look that I found one of my favourite Christmas jumpers, this pale blue Christmas pudding jumper (£27.99). I looked at it a few times, even going back to it as I recall but I don't know - £27.99 for a jumper with a Christmas pudding on it? I'm pretty sure that on Christmas day I'll regret not buying it though. 

 

The sparkly one

 

My friend and I, we like Robin. Actually even her teenage son likes Robin and he was initially most scathing about him. I'm hoping that she might let me borrow him one day to feature on here... 

 

Robin jumper (£69) from French Connection. In real life his red breast is a really lovely pink colour - much more so than this photo would suggest.

 

 

The Fair Isle Jumper

 

I like this Ted Baker Fair Isle jumper (£99) and have had my eye on it for a while. It has a little more longevity than the Christmas Pudding one, which really does have quite a short life span each year - unless you decide to be ironic and wear it on a boiling hot beach in the summer.

 

 

Will you, won't you and if not for you, will your husband be wearing one at work one day sometime soon? Mine did under duress and I have the photo evidence to prove it but it would just be too mean to put it on here. Wouldn't it?

 

For the next five days I will be working at the Clothes Show giving Style Presentations and running Style Clinics. Whether I manage to blog each evening I am not sure. In fact I have no idea what state I will be in each evening. I'm wondering whether I will be able to take the excitement of seeing Peter Andre, Union J and all of those reality TV stars. I fear that it may be more than I can take!

Options for a night out....(there are quite a few!)

Tomorrow night I am co-hosting the West Midlands Women of the Year Awards at a fabulous hotel in the centre of Birmingham. It promises to be a glamourous affair and having the role that I do, I felt that I wanted to give some thought to my outfit.

I narrowed my options down to the following:

• Black jumpsuit and short, bright jacket;
• Long dress;
• Printed trousers and top.

My initial research on the jumpsuit front revealed a nice one in Reiss but that was nearly £200...

I had the idea of wearing it with this Ted Baker jacket, albeit in the hot pink, but with that being £179 it was going to amount to a pretty expensive outfit.

I also came across a jersey jumpsuit in French Connection (£125) but that was very low at the front, so it wasn't really an option. So that idea was temporarily parked.

Moving on to a full length dress, I really liked the style and shaping on this sequinned dress from French Connection which shaves inches from the waist. However,  at £180 it was more expensive than I wanted to pay for an outfit for one night.

 Next I moved on to the Ted Baker sparkle maxi dress (£179), which I liked in the shop but which I wasn't entirely sure about, given the poor lighting.

I brought it home and showed it to my husband on Sunday morning. Ordinarily I wouldn't ask his opinion on what I'm wearing but he does have a really good eye and so for a special event, I will ask what he thinks.

As I appeared in the kitchen he looked up from cleaning the fish (chubby, fudge and cola cube - don't ask!) and a look of terror went across his face. It wasn't so much because of what I was wearing but rather more because he was going to be put on the spot and his opinion requested.  His conclusion was that it was it was OK but possibly a bit cheap looking so, given the price, that was a "no". Having not come up trumps on the full length dress front, it was time to move on.

Next I moved on to the Ted Baker oil painting top (£89)...

and the Ted Baker oil painting trousers (£109)...

Now actually this outfit got a really positive response from Mr SG and despite the fact that it could, and really was, print overload, I really liked them together too. All was going well and he said...."it's different, fun, bright, yes I like that outfit, that will do. And then he uttered the fatal words  "It looks like a CLOWN OUTFIT." A clown outfit? I gently (after throttling him) pointed out that perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to go out dressed in something described by someone else as a clown outfit. So that went back. As an aside, Ted Baker has over 30 items with this print and as much as I like it, now that it comes in skirts, trousers, tops, dresses, jackets, umbrellas and wellies, I'm slightly concerned about it - in a Daniella Westbrook/Burberry overkill kind of way.

So really that left me back to square one until today when I paid closer attention to this Topshop jumpsuit (£48) which I had seen last week. Not quite feeling up to stripping off and trying it on, I brought one home to try. Now what I will say about this is that it has potential. My only slight concern is that the waist it quite high, so the distance at the back from the waist, to the bottom of one's bottom, is quite big - which can make one's bottom look, well, quite big. So I'm not entirely sure on that. Actually yes I am - it's a no. I think.

In Topshop I also came across these luxe shine joggers (£42), which I have to say are a total winner. I think that I may devote a whole post to them at some point. They also come in a lovely blue and this is what I like about them - they're not thigh clinging or calf clinging for anyone who suffers from either of those problems - but they are tapered. The fabric is quite heavy too which I like for a bit of support.

I also came across this Forever 21 sequin bomber jacket (£32) and I think that the trousers would look fantastic with it - not necessarily for what I'm up to tomorrow night but for an evening out over Christmas.

 

 

I like the style of these metallic heels by Dune at Topshop (£85) to go with the above trousers. There will be less expensive options at Primark or New Look but I've included them to give you an idea.

 

Whilst on my travels I also picked up this Topshop navy taffeta skirt (£48). Actually mine is bright pink but it isn't showing on line, although the pale blue one is. It featured in the Sunday Times Style Magazine so I wanted to see it in the flesh. Again this isn't one for tomorrow's event but just something to try because I wanted to suss it out with a cami style top.

So where have I reached for tomorrow night's outfit? Nowhere really, which isn't great given that I'm busy all day tomorrow. Had I not faffed around for the last hour and half telling you all about the things I had discounted, maybe I would have moved things forward. As it stands I've drawn a big fat blank - although I did buy a Parka today because, of course, that will work perfectly tomorrow night.

As an aside, although I discounted some of these things, I hope to have given you some ideas for pieces out because they may just be right for what you're after.

The miracle "bottom shrinking" trousers from Whistles

I wanted to tell you about the Ella Panel Trousers from Whistles (reduced to £40 from £85) because they were a bit of find. There's nothing unusual about them really - navy blue, biker style with detailing at the knees and zips at the ankles. However they do make a good alternative to jeans and what I really like about them is the panelling on them. They have a decent rise on them too which is never a bad thing.

In simple terms, the panelling makes the hips/bottom look narrower than they are - which is great, particularly if you spend a lot of time walking into rooms backwards. As to the magical bottom shrinking capabilities of these trousers, the reason for it (I did have a photograph taken of myself in the trousers to demonstrate the point but it was so horrific that I quickly removed myself from the photograph) is that there are fairly wide, but subtle, panels up the sides of the trousers. These go around to the back of the trouser so that, as shown in the picture below, the distance (in width) from the back mid-line of the trouser, to the outside seam, is much less than usual (probably by a couple of inches on each side) making the hips look narrower. It's a bit hard to explain but hopefully you'll get the idea.

If like me you like a half way trouser - not too smart but smarter than jeans - these are definitely worth taking a look at. As to the photos - personally I like the blurred look, it's so much softer than HD - but it wasn't intentional - just a five year old with a wobbly hand! I'm also wearing my current favourite Topshop pale blue jumper, a French Connection printed scarf and Zara boots.

Cuddle up in something cosy with a fur gilet (handy if you don't have a cat or husband/partner to hand)

I hate to say it but the nights are definitely drawing in and the heating in our house may have been flicked on once or twice - just to check that it's working of course. As I looked down at my M&S fleecy dressing gown jacket that I was wearing the other day (whilst in the house I hasten to add and whilst over my daytime clothes) I couldn't believe that we were back there again.

Fortunately, this season there are all manner of fur coats and gilets out there. In fact they have been out there for many seasons but now that they are officially a "trend" they will be much better advertised, making it easier for us to find them.

Primark has always been my go to place for fur gilets. I bought two from there last year which wore well, kept me warm and looked more expensive than their price tag. Last week didn't reveal any such gems but I'm sure that it's only a question of time.

I often wear my gilet in the house for warmth, or layered under my Parka to make it look more attractive than it really is, or they can be layered over a trench to take what is a lightweight coat a bit further into the autumn.

Johnnie B has a fur gilet for £45 and their sizing is pretty generous too. Cream gilets are a good place to start - somehow they're less full on fake fur and challenging than other colours.

If however black is more your thing, French Connection has a faux fur gilet (£150). I like the texture of this one and it would look great with a grey marl jumper underneath it or, for those who are washed out by grey, a lovely bright pink, coral or yellow jumper. The length could be tricky on some though, so it's definitely one to try on.

If the idea of a coat featuring some fur on it appeals to you, French Connection has this black one for £220 - which isn't cheap for what may be more of a trend item than a wardrobe classic but then if you love it, why not? And sometimes things that start off as a bit of a flash in the pan turn into a well established wardrobe staple. Skinny jeans being the perfect example.

For a bit of grey number, there's this faux fur gilet from Mint Velvet for £109 which is a nice alternative to black or cream and grey works really well with berry and purple colours.

This is one of my favourite, the granite and cream fur gilet from Mint Velvet £99. It has more of a sheepskin finish rather than a furry one and would sit well under a winter coat - well, provided there was a bit of room to spare.

Taking in two trends in one, Zara has this navy sleeveless coat with fur on it for £129. I have to admit to falling in love with this last week and it is now sitting in my wardrobe waiting to be worn. I'm going to layer it up with a navy roll neck or bright cashmere jumper, skinny jeans and boots. And if I have to freeze, I'm happy to but actually I think that it might be good when I'm working in the shops and for when I'm in the car. I love a great excuse almost as much as I love a great piece of clothing.

Here's a link to the New Look fur gilets/pieces and River Island  has a very fluffy Mongolian gilet in different colours for £150. If you're not sure about the whole idea though, I would still hang on and wait to see what Primark has in within the next few weeks. On the other hand, if you have a good excuse.....

Pink coats, pink coats and more pink coats.....

Pink coats have been dancing on the fashion periphery for a while now.  It started last winter with Jil Sander's oversized pink coat (see below) but it has taken until this winter for them to filter down on to the High Street - and for A/W '13, the pink coat is where it's at!

I don't suppose that anyone will be surprised to learn that over the years I have had several pink coats. It started with a pink Oasis trench about 9 years ago and was soon followed by a pink Boden coat and after that a Benetton one. I tell you this only because, sadly, I clearly don't have a reason to buy a pink coat this winter, which I consider to be a shame.

The deal on pink coats is this: they should be the softest palest of pink, worn oversized with rounded shoulders and clean lines, or perhaps military style, but they should be devoid of frills, peplums, or anything that makes them look too girly. So, I've done a quick whizz around to see what's on offer at the moment. Not all of them fit the "deal" above but that's good, because not everyone will want to walk around in a pale pink, oversized, coat this winter.

French Connection (£175) has this lovely pink coat. Being double breasted and with a collar, it is probably more suited to women who don't have lots of curves. I like the swing shape of this coat, which gives it a bit of a 60's feel.

The Hobbs Lacey coat in orchid pink (£239) is a favourite of mine. I like this particular shade of pink as it has a depth about it which suits paler skins in the winter (that would be me then). The oversized shape lends itself well to the whole androgynous look which is so big for A/W '13 and it will work well with trousers and brogues, or boots, as well as dresses. Grazia quite often has a Hobbs discount voucher at the start of each season so if you're tempted, it may be an idea to keep your eyes open for that.

J Crew has this pretty, very ladylike, coat which also comes in petite and tall and costs £312.15 - or slightly more if you need the tall one, which seems grossly unfair to me. It also comes in a colour similar to the Hobbs one above, but is only available in a petite and in a size 0 - so it's probably not one for the masses but someone may do really well out of it as it's in the sale for around £185. (Kylie, if you're reading this, you know where to go for your winter coat).

This is the only picture of the coat that I am dying to see, which is from Topshop and as yet not available (unless someone tells me otherwise).  Again, it's a pretty pale pink with clean lines so it's definitely one to watch.

This pretty pink Marks and Spencer (£99) military style coat is from their plus range and comes in sizes 20 to 28. I like the shaping on this coat - simple and flattering with a revere collar, angled pockets at the waist and it is also single breasted.

Zara (£179) has this masculine style overcoat. It's not dis-similar to the above style but it has less movement in the skirt part of it. There's something about black buttons on a pink coat which always stand out. Personally I prefer buttons the same colour as the coat - but not enough to change the ones on my own coat. Cheery looking soul isn't she?!

For those who prefer something less than a full length coat, Zara has this woollen overcoat for £79.99. It's great for those who perhaps travel a lot sitting down and don't want their coat to get creased, or for those who have fantastic pins. I'm a big fan of playing to your strengths so if great legs are your strength, show them off at every opportunity, cold or not!

Boden (£149) has this Mia coat which is very chic, in a classic Audrey Hepburn type of way. This bubblegum pink is a great colour and I can see it working really well at the weekend with jeans, Chelsea boots and a chunky roll neck jumper.

For a paler than pale pink coat, Reiss (£225) has this blush jacket with a waist tie.  It's a lovely design with clever detailing in the panels. Whilst a waist tie isn't for everyone, it's definitely worth a try.

 

Being cream, this Jigsaw (£265) coat doesn't really belong in this post but I fell in love with the colour, texture and shape of it, together with the fur collar. As I have mentioned before, all things fluffy, soft and furry are going to be huge this winter (a post on this particular trend will follow) and for me this coat embraces the trend in a very classic 1940's way but with a modern twist, as opposed to a less sophisticated (OK, chavtastic) kind of way. This coat would look amazing at a winter wedding - I just need one to go to now.

  

 

If a pink coat isn't your thing at all, there will be many other options available.  Zara has these pink trousers for £29.99 which are great but as ever with Zara, it's a good idea to start with the XL size and work backwards to avoid being utterly demoralised when the medium ones don't even go over your calves.

 

 

 

Warehouse (£28) has this lovely box bag in a pretty pale pink colour. I like the silver frame and the structured shape of this particular bag and it is well priced. Again, a great wedding option (hint, hint friends).

 

 

So, that's where we are on the pink coats - will you or won't you?  Perhaps you wouldn't have before reading this but now you might be tempted to.  Or like me you perhaps would love to but don't have  a reason to. Oh well, if that's the case, that's the great thing about this time of year, there's always something else just around the corner.....

 

Mum on the Run - Oooh, so what did you buy in the Zara sale? Here are my bits and bobs - hold on to your seats now!

For me sales shopping involves a little bit of searching for pieces to fill the gaps in my wardrobe, a little bit of falling in love and snapping things up (price permitting) and a little bit of seeing things and thinking "you're just what I need in my life - how did I ever manage without you?"

When I was in Zara I fell in love with the scarf below because the colours are so unusual for me and different equals good. Quite often things jump out at me because they remind me of something else and I've definitely seen this combination of blue and red somewhere before but I can't remember where, so whilst different, it also felt familiar - if that makes sense. Just to add to the madness of the colour and print, I wore it with a Breton striped jumper from French Connection.

If I had seen it, I would have been quite tempted by this leopard print neon scarf too (£15.99). A bit of neon pink, a bit of neon blue and some tan, black and cream would be a great pick me up for a classic winter coat when it is time for them to come out again - but let's not think about that right now.

If I had a birthday or something special coming up - (hubbie, if you're reading this, you could take the hint) I would love to add this scarf from Lily and Lionel (£100 reduced to £70) to my collection. They have a fantastic range of scarves, which you can take a look at here. It also comes in navy and tangerine and I'm a bit partial to the Wanda design too. OK, so now hubby has to read between the lines - "does she want the one featured, the same one in tangerine or perhaps navy, or the Wanda one - and if so which one." Tricky huh?!

 OK, so hold on to your seats for this truly exceptionally, exciting piece - an anorak! I know, how amazing is that? Now this is one of those pieces that I was talking about. One that you didn't really know that you needed in your life but now it's there - well, how ever did I manage without it? Usually I would wear my All Saints trench or a blazer in the summer but there was definitely a need for a sensible coat with a hood amongst my arsenal of clothes to fight the elements. It was well and truly put to the test on Sunday when it was cold and blowing a gale and it easily justified its £29.99 price tag.

This year will see us holidaying in Cornwall (potential for rain, high) and Guernsey (potential for rain, even higher). True, holidaying in the UK is better for the skin than a hot holiday but I sorely needed a coat with a hood and a bit of warmth to it - and this is it. With great big pockets I can fit all my rubbish in them with ease, I can zip it up, pull up the hood and I'm good to go along the rainy, windswept beach, without the need for a bag.

I have to laugh - some of my clients are busy buying beautiful suits, dresses, cashmere knits and silk scarves and I'm buying a summer parka with a hood - brilliant!

On the way out of Zara I spotted this cut out faux leather top (£29.99) but I didn't have time to investigate closer - ie try it on and assess the potential for sweating.

The fact that this top is actually on the Zara website, as opposed to the scarf and parka that I bought, slightly concerns me. Does it mean that being faux leather it is sticky and yucky to wear and everyone has returned them - unlike that coat which is soooooooo chic - or that they are just too cool for school so there are lots of them left? I'm kind of intrigued so if they're still around when I next have time to shop for me, I'll take a closer look.

Other than that I bought a plain black jumper but I'm saving that for another post - probably one from Cornwall not only in the rain but in the cold too. Ah, the perfect summer holiday.

Mum on the Run - An easy, breezy dress for every day. A real "snatch and grab" kind of outfit.

Oh boy, do we know how to have fun on holiday?! At 9am I found myself at the launderette in Bangor and that's also where I'll be at 9am tomorrow. Having listened to an article on Radio 4 a few weeks ago about how Launderette's are the hub of a community, I was quite excited about the prospect of getting our loose covers washed - and I wasn't disappointed.  And then - wait for the excitement - I spent a good half hour washing down a pushchair which we had stored in the shed and which had got mildew on it. (I say "we" had stored it but that's not strictly true - someone else in the family had stored it there but it would be unfair to let him take sole responsibility for the mildew situation). In fairness the whole washing down business was quite enjoyable. I liked wearing my wellies again and there's nothing like a bowl of hot soapy water and a pair of rubber gloves to make you feel as though you are achieving something (on holiday. Sad?!)

 

Sometimes all that we need is an easy breezy dress for a summer's day. This dress is easy in the sense that it is machine washable, has a good length to it so that you can bend over and not flash your pants, is made of a fabric that's not going to snag, catch or stain, is in a really flattering style and the print design (dark background, brighter print) works wonders for smoothing lumps and bumps. It's also good because it wouldn't need to be the height of summer to wear it, which is fortunate given what we're dealing with at the moment, which for us is rain, wind, low temperatures and the odd earthquake, just for good measure.

 

 

The dress is from French Connection and whilst I can't see it on the site at the moment, they are still available in store. They used to do this style in lots of prints and colours - no doubt many of you will own one - but it only comes in this one this season. Here it is sitting alongside Topshop clog sandals (£45) and a Zara bag (£39.99) but you could mix it up a little by working in some cream, navy, green - or whatever you fancy really.

It's a snatch and grab type of outfit. It's not overly trendy, not too try hard, just a pretty, flattering dress for everyday - something that all of us need from time to time.

Mum on the Run - Skirting around the issue. Skirt styles to tempt you into summer.

I'm sure that I have said this before but skirts can be tricky. Tricky to find in the first place, tricky to find the right tops to go with them and tricky because unlike a dress which is an outfit in it's own right, they require more thought in terms of shoes and accessories.

 

Separates are always billed as being the way forward but finding a good, everyday, skirt is no mean feat. Whilst pencil skirts are having a moment, they're not for everyone.

 

The skirt that I am wearing below was from Jigsaw last summer. It's their trench skirt and I liked it for it's length, its volume which allows me to move around easily, and for the fact that I can put lots of things with it - except tops with buttons as it then looks like there's a bit of a button fest going on.

 

 

 

For a skirt along similar lines, there's this Hobbs skirt (£69). It's an easy fabric in the sense that it's not too far a departure from jeans - it's just jeans in the guise of a skirt really - which can be a good starting point. With it's slight fullness, it is flattering over curvier hips and the wider hem has the effect of making legs look slimmer.

I like to be able to wear my skirts with lots of different shoes, from heels, to brogues, to converse or flat sandals (not asking much am I?!) and for me the Hobbs Millie Derby (£139) would be the perfect complement to this skirt. However for those not so fond of brogues, there are lots of other options that would work equally well. It goes back to this being the skirt version of jeans really.

 

 

This French Connection skirt (£65) has a great print on it. It too is fuller in the skirt and therefore requires a fitted top to counteract that, so as to keep the silhouette neat. Depending on your height, it's designed to be knee length, as opposed to mid thigh or midi. Again, one to be worn with heels or brogues, it could take you from a sunny day out with flats and a strappy vest, to a night out with heels and a silky top.

The challenges that tall ladies face in finding a skirt with enough length to it are just as great as those faced by petite ladies who find lots of skirts too long.

This Pixel python skirt (£95) from French Connection is more of the midi variety - depending on your height - and arguably requires slightly more styling to keep it out of frumpy territory. However, that can be done with the usual suspects which I use to "rescue" outfits from going down the wrong route. These might include a denim shirt, some neon jewellery, a biker style jacket, a silky fitted top and shoes in the shape/style of the season. We all know how the "right" shoes can make all the difference to an outfit.

The Crochet pencil skirt (£87) also from French Connection comes in dark blue as well as this pretty cream/ivory colour. When thinking about what types of skirts to include in this post, it reminded me of a navy Mango pencil skirt that I find really useful in both summer and winter. It's great in the winter with thick tights and a short fitted jumper and in the summer with lighter weight shoes and a denim shirt, breton style top or a pink vest top. There's also a cheaper one in Next - just go to the webite and search for skirts/blue and it should come up on that page.

I love this Zara pencil skirt (£29.99) for its print. It's so pretty and there are lots of colours which could be picked up in a top to go with it. The Zara blazer which I wrote about yesterday comes in a fantastic blue colour which goes with this skirt perfectly, for anyone needing a smarter outfit. It too has a decent length to it but don't be put off if at first instance it appears an inch or so too long. If heels don't take it to the perfect length for you, having it turned up even slightly makes it look completely different. For me, the length that it is shown at below is about right but sadly not all of us are as tall as the model!

This skirt is a great style and the polka dots keep it really young and fresh. The Next flippy skirt (£28) is a good price. It is shorter in length and the fabric and shape make it a really flattering style for ladies with curvier hips.

For those ladies who prefer to keep largely covered up but don't mind flashing a little leg through a side split, the Hush maxi tube skirt (£40) could be perfect. Some maxi style skirts and dresses have way too much fabric in them adding pounds and drowning out smaller frames. However the neater lines of this skirt avoid that and are good for those ladies who perhaps aren't quite so fond of their knees/lack of tan/blemishes/veins - and I include myself within this category - but who don't want to wear trousers all year round either.

 

Hopefully that may have given you some ideas as to where to head now that the warmer weather has, hopefully, arrived and because skirts are now, hopefully, going to be an option (as was mine until the sun went in and the jeans went back on)!