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Showing posts with label Other Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Other Stories. Show all posts

Sunday 24 December 2017

Happy Christmas - The Seven Outfits of Christmas


 Skirt from Hush (£65), Boots Jones (now £120) sequin top & Other Stories (£49 - almost sold out) Earrings Kaaren Buchanan (£68 - gift)

I had such great plans for the blog this week but as you can tell from my absence - none of them came to fruition. However I didn't want Christmas to come and go without wishing you all a very "Happy Christmas." I also wanted to say a huge big "Thank You" for reading and for your support along the way. Style Guile will be going into its 8th year next year and I know that some of you have been with me from the start. Without you all it wouldn't be here - so thank you! Hopefully next year I will be able to make time to blog more (famous last words) so I should get to chat to you all a little more regularly. 

I love Christmas Eve - it's probably my favourite day of the year. But I'm really conscious that for many, Christmas can be a difficult time. A "first" Christmas after anything sad has happened must be upsetting, so I want to let you know that amongst the merriment tomorrow, I shall be taking a moment to reflect and to send out virtual hugs to those who need them.  


As I haven't managed to blog much - OK, at all - I thought that I would do a quick round up of outfits from the week, together with a couple of other shots. After all, Christmas is about friends and family as much as the outfits.

This week, I've managed to get out early most mornings with my running friends. Those times are so precious to us all and we love getting some fresh air, some exercise and having a chat. It really sets us up for the day. This shot was taken on top of a railway bridge near to my home, just as the sun was rising. It was such a beautiful sight and just stopping (phew) and taking a moment to think about the run that I had just had with my wonderful friends was a really special time. 


Last Sunday we went to see my Mum and her sister and that too was such fun. This is a photo of her sideboard, which she had set up for Christmas. I felt that it captured the essence of Christmas when I was young, perfectly. So many people liked this post on Instagram that I have wondered about handing my account over to my Mum. Forget the fashion - it's all about the mince pies, the cake frill and the Quality Street. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion and so many people commented and identified with this post. The cake frill in particular had lots of love!


And this was my Mum's coffee table, complete with my Aunt's slippers in shot. You can tell that the children had been at the Pringles.


I seem to have been on my feet a lot this week so it was pretty much flats all the way. Dungarees and a new blouse from one of my favourite brands, Mercy Delta (which they kindly gifted to me) was a really comfortable outfit for a full day of Christmas shopping on Monday.

Our eldest daughter is working in John Lewis at the moment and we spent hours in there, taking every single item to her till just so that we could see her briefly. We also took her for lunch and although she was working, it was a really special day for us all. She loved having us so close. Sometimes people can be horrible to shop staff at Christmas (and some can be lovely) so it broke up her day and although I always chat to shop staff, it acted as a reminder to be super nice to them.


I took our youngest to see Alice in Wonderland earlier on Tuesday and I wore this outfit from Great Plains which I wrote about in my last post. This time however I wore it with trainers from Air & Grace together with a huge scarf from Jaeger which I've had for several years now. It just gave a slightly different twist to things. And I'm still quite traditional when it comes down to what to wear to the theatre/ballet/carol service. It would be wrong to pretend that I had made a huge effort but something other than jeans feels right on those occasions.


On Wednesday I was again in jeans and trainers, which were from Air & Grace. The weather has been so mild that the issue of socks (or lack of them) really hasn't arisen. This coat from Linea at House of Fraser is also perfect for this weather and it adds sharpness to an otherwise very casual and "un-tailored" outfit. Note to self - I must wear some more skirts and dresses.


More sparkles - this time from & Other Stories. And surprise surprise, I'm in (old, Gap) jeans (hence the lack of link) and Adidas trainers -again! On Thursday I had some friends come round for brunch and it was lovely to just sit and chat - particularly as they were my running friends and most of our conversations are interspersed with "Can't talk now, I can talk at the top" or "Ooh this really hurts today" or, as in the case of this morning "I thought that somehow running on Christmas Eve would be easy." Why? Who in their right mind would actually think that, let alone voice it?! (Well apart from me.)


And on Friday I was in....yup, jeans and trainers! These jeans were from Whistles a while ago now and are generally on the tight side, so the fact that I managed to get them on and keep them on all day was a result. I don't know why I decided to do double denim but I like this shirt from Zara and I haven't worn it for a while - so it kind of seemed like a good idea at the time.

We had 9 for dinner that night so there was lots of running around to do, hence the trainers. As we're going away on Boxing Day we had to start our Christmas food celebrations early, so as not to have any left overs. So, our Christmas pudding has already been eaten and the trifle already made and eaten too. I should have photographed it - the cut glass trifle bowl is from my Mum and it's a beauty. I figured that the trifle didn't quite look the same after the first portion had been served.


And look! I'm not wearing trainers! Although I am wearing jeans (Mango from nearly a year ago) and a sparkly top (again) - this time the Great Plains Suraya top (again limited in size). This is clearly not a place to come for outfit inspiration - unless you like jeans, a sparkly top and a splash of colour in accessories.

And then here we are at today and I'm wearing the first outfit. To set the scene, the children and their friends are watching Harry Potter and the Snowman will be on soon, which I love. The tree lights are on, the table is almost set for tomorrow and shortly we're off to Pizza Express before coming home when I will read "The night before Christmas" to the "children". On Boxing Day we're heading for some sun so next time I appear on here, it may well be in a bikini. And if that's not an incentive to keep off the mince pies then I don't know what is. Well, apart from turning a blind eye and breathing in, which is what I will probably do in reality.

I hope that you all have a truly special Christmas. Do come over and follow me on Instagram if you would like to see what I am up to - you can find me here And if anyone is feeling a little blue or in need of a chat, please do just drop me a line anytime. See you on the other side!


Friday 10 January 2014

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!

Saturday 21 December 2013

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 6 - Camouflage trousers and a Whistles Parka

 

We made it to Wales and guess what? It's blowing a gale and pouring with rain but secretly I'm quite pleased as I wanted to try out my new navy Whistles parka.  So far so good - it's warm, it kept me dry and the hood is brilliant, which sounds a ridiculous thing to say but it is substantial and doesn't blow off at the first sign of wind. Having looked online at both Whistles and John Lewis I can't see it, or else I would have included a link. And please excuse the dreadful photo - there are only so many times that I can ask the children to step outside into the rain and gales before giving it up as a bad job. I should add that the fact that I'm quite happy about the bad weather isn't at the expense of the rest of the family, who are equally happy to sit around the fire and watch films.
 
I also wore Gap camouflage trousers today to ring the changes from jeans and the cropped Other Stories jumper is probably one of the warmest that I own. The black ankle boots are from La Redoute and I didn't really have time to faff about with handbags today so I just picked up the clutch I used last night and brought it along for the ride.
 
As for today's gift  - either for your own Christmas list or to give to someone else - I love these cuffs from Aspinal of London. The top one is the Roma Cuff Bracelet (£79). It comes in several colour ways. The second one is the Venus Stingray Cuff Bracelet (£125). Aspinal has a seriously fabulous selection of cuffs, so much so that I have also included a link to the full collection.  A piece like this can really take an outfit from a plain one, to a fabulous one, so they are well worth the investment (especially if someone else is making it). I did not say that.