One of THE colours of the season for s/s '14

 

There's something very odd going on with the technology tonight, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet and get this posted before the whole lot crashes.  

 

Today I wanted to write about pale blue. From the palest of baby blues (as in the colour, rather than weeping and realising that your life will never be the same once a baby has arrived) through to ice blue and cornflower blue, there's a shade for everyone and I am attracted to them all. I can't go past a pale blue handbag without stroking it and I'm a sucker for a pale blue jumper or scarf.

 

The jumper that I am wearing above is one of my favourite Topshop ones. Its pale blue colour is great as it works so well with so many other colours. There's going to be a lot of pale blue around for S/S '14 so I thought that I would show you a few pieces which are currently available. Two are in the sale at Reiss, both of which I happened to stroke today. I'm sure that someone, somewhere, is going to ask me to leave a store really soon!

 

 

Zara coat (£129.99)

Zara mini city bag (£39.99)

 

Reiss  jumper down to £69 from £120

Reiss scarf down from £20 from £79

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 12 (+1) - An evening sports luxe look and Easter Eggs. In December?!

The sports luxe look has been around for a while now and this is an evening version of it, as in it is made up of sequins, satins and sparkles. With the outfit effectively being made up of a fancy sweatshirt and a posh version of trackie bums, it's a bit of a winner on the comfort front.

The top was from Reiss several years ago now and although I don't wear it a lot, when I do I love it. The trousers are the ones from Topshop that I keep wearing but it's good to be getting my monies worth out of them. The Dune shoes have been my friend for a few years also. Well, sometimes I fall out with them a little bit, particularly at the end of an evening.

This evening our friend posed this question to us: How do you know when Christmas is over? The answer: When Cadbury's Crème Eggs start appearing in the shops. Crazy or what?! Somehow I fear that we have lost the art of living for the moment!

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.

From a Reiss summer dresses to heavy winter warmers, all in the space of two days

This is probably going to be the quickest post in the history of the blog because in less than ten minutes I need to head out with the eldest to see the One Direction (or Wrong Direction, take your pick) film. We've tried to persuade others to come along but oddly they have declined. The best excuse came from an 11 year old we know who said that she had stay in and do her homework - which is definitely on a par with having to stay in to wash your hair.

 

Anyway the start of the new term arrived, warm and sunny with temperatures in the mid twenties as the day went on, hence the Reiss dress and sandals....

But two days later the temperature had dropped to fourteen degrees, so I felt that it was time for a wardrobe swap around.  I had a little think about how I wanted to organise it for the autumn and I decided to devote the middle section of my wardrobe to things that I really like and that I want to wear the most. 

Until fairly recently I had a separate rail with those things on but it made the room look untidy so I took it down and made a rule that whatever I owned had to fit inside the wardrobe. Also, over the summer holidays dressing was simpler but now that the children are back at school and I am back at work, I need a wardrobe that is more organised and which pulls its weight a little bit more.

Being left handed, my wardrobe is organised from right to left, starting with blouses, tops, fine knit jumpers, blazers, skirts and smarter trousers and within that I have organised them from lighter, to darker, colours. Shoes, bags, coats, jeans, heavier jumpers, dresses and scarves are stored elsewhere.

 

I have a pile of  heavier jumpers ready to be hand washed but I don't plan on wearing them until it gets really cold and several pairs of jeans and cords are drying ready to be introduced into my autumn wardrobe over the next couple of weeks.  I also went through a lot of my "proper" winter things and left anything black well out of the way for now. Navy I can do all year round but I'm not quite ready for black yet.

 

I had a lot of my accessories stored away in soft cloth bags but for me it's actually better to have things that I want to wear on display, or close to hand. Whilst this looks a bit of a pickle, it all makes sense to me and I think that's the point really, whatever works for each person is good as it enables you get the most out of your clothes.  It also helps you to see what you have and what you need to add.

In the drawer I have belts, clutch bags, gloves and wrist warmers...

...whilst on the shelf I have my bangles and bracelets stored in a red leather box with statement necklaces and other cuffs laid out.

In theory if I go to that one section of my wardrobe, I should be able to pull together the basis of a smart/casual outfit really easily - the type of outfit that I need to wear during the week when I have the least amount of time to plan things.  Time will tell....

Quilted sweatshirts - coming at us from all angles!

The Chanel 2.55 handbag is probably the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of quilted pieces, closely followed by your Grandma's dressing gown. A few winters back, quilted coats started to appear and they quickly became the standard coat of pretty much every teenage girl in the country - to the point that one of our local schools has banned them.  In the spring, slightly boho Isabel Marant style quilted jackets took centre stage and it seems that most brands now have quilted clothing of one sort or another. I've seen quilted shoes, bags, jackets, skirts, tops and dresses but I have a special affinity for quilted sweatshirts.

Why you may ask? OK so you may not but if you do, here's why. Two big things in their favour are that they are warm and comfortable. Always a winner in my book. With jeans and boots they make a great casual outfit and with a smarter skirt and heels, they are a trendy look. They can be worn with a statement necklace or with a shirt layered underneath and they offer a way of us non-20 year olds being able to keep up to date without looking ridiculous.

These are some of my favourites so far:

Reiss £69 has this lovely silver grey one, with a quilted pattern that is quite different to most of the traditional diamond shaped patterns.

 

Reiss £69 also has this pinky coral coloured one - which makes a nice change to the grey, navy or black ones which are available in abundance.

Whistles £65 has a navy one, which also comes in white too. This quilting pattern is triangles all at different angles - which reminds me I still need to buy some set squares for our son. There will be  a trip to WH Smith tomorrow I think. Oooh, they stock toblerone too - it's all about the triangles tonight.

New Look £19.99 has a quilted grey sweatshirt for a good price - sorry about the tiny pic....

...together with this sweatshirt with quilted sleeves, also from New Look £12.99. It's a great colour and the nod to the quilting in the sleeves is good for those who don't necessarily want the added bulk over the chest that quilting can sometimes add.

I think that I ought to own up to this grey quilted sweatshirt from Dorothy Perkins £22 making its way into my bag today (that sounds like I didn't pay for it - but I did). Our Dotty P is dire but then I remembered that BHS has a section and that was an altogether much better experience. As you can imagine, I liked the sparkly bits at the neckline.

 Warehouse £36 has a black sweatshirt with a traditional diamond pattern on it. This sweatshirt would make a great backdrop for a bright statement necklace.

For anyone who prefers quilting on a real quilt, as opposed to clothing, you may like to take a look at this lovely blog, which is written by a lady I met on our recent trip to Guernsey - Little Island Quilting - they're beautiful, what a talent!

Camouflage prints - love them or loathe them? Let's take a look and see what's around.....

So, camouflage - what do you think? Love it or loathe it? Either way, we're going to see a lot of it in the stores over the next few months so I thought that I would take a whizz around the High Street and see what's out there at the moment. Rest assured, there will be much more to come but this will give you a flavour....

For those with skinny pins, or who would prefer a print on their bottom half, the GAP skinny mini trousers in blue camo are a pleasant alternative to the traditional green print camouflage and somehow seem a little less scary. They also come in a pale grey and cost £34.95. I like the colour combination of the trousers and shoes below, which would translate well into a pair of ankle boots for the colder weather. Wear with a chunky jumper, maybe blue or bright yellow or pink, and that's an outfit sorted. Or dress them up with the usual heels/blazer combo.

Predictably Whistles are way ahead of the game, with several camouflage pieces in their new collection. This camo sweat dress (£95) is one of them. It's not any easy style of dress to wear in terms of shape but I can see it working for some, perhaps layered over skinny jeans in the winter, or with thick tights and heeled ankle boots/shoe boots.

This camo dress, also from Whistles (£155) has a great colour combination, with the yellow taking centre stage. The style of this dress is clever too, with it's shading down the sides of the torso and the arms, it's one of those that just whittles everything down. I would love to see it worn with...

...these fantastically bright yellow shoes from LK Bennett £85 down from £170, It's a great outfit for a late summer, early autumn event. I think that these shoes would look equally great with the blue GAP trousers above.

For something which is camouflage pretty much in name only, there's this printed scarf from Reiss (£14 down from £49), which is a great price and a good way to dip your toe into the camouflage water.

Lastly, this GAP  tote (£39.95), whilst a very traditional camouflage print, is a good way of updating your exiting winter wardrobe, without spending a huge amount of money in doing so. True, you could probably get a pair of trousers from another brand for the same amount of money but GAP is bound to have some sort of discount soon.

If I'm honest, I've always had reservations about wearing camouflage - it just doesn't seem quite right to turn clothing worn in conditions fraught with fear and danger, into a fashion item. I feel the same about wearing religious symbols and prints associated with particular cultures - that seems disrespectful.

So, does the fact that I would wear a camouflage print in blue (the GAP jeans) or in pretty pastel colours (the Reiss scarf) rather than the GAP bag make me a hypocrite? Probably. But I can somehow get my head around those pieces more easily.

As to how to wear camouflage, think less All Saints (as in the band, not the shop) utility trousers, desert boots and white vests and more fitted, glamourous and stylish.

Having taken a look at what is out there has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities of things to come. Hopefully it may have done the same for some of you too - or alternatively crystallised your view that never in a million years would you go there. If that's the case, I hope to be able to bring you some alternative trends over the next few weeks that may be more your cup of tea!

Mum on the Run - A Reiss dress for a perfectly lovely party

I was invited to a friend's birthday party on Saturday night (complete with a visit from an ice cream van) and in keeping with my plan of showing you a dress a day, this is what I wore.

 

It was fantastic; a beautifully warm and balmy evening, perfect for pimms, fizz, a barbeque, live music and a cleverly re-worked Lily Allen song, which a close friend of hers sang brilliantly. I was so happy that the weather was good as I also share a July birthday and I know how often it can rain. Rubbish weather in January, that's a fair cop. In July? That's just not on. The warm weather meant that, for once, there was none of that pretending to be warm business, when really you're freezing your whatsits off.

I bought this dress from Reiss in Bicester just over a year ago, on a shopping trip during which our eldest daughter described me as a ninja shopper, due to the way I flick through the rails with a "no, no, no, no, no, yep - that might work" approach.

 

I bought the dress without an event in mind, knowing that one would crop up at some point in the future. I liked the colour, the emphasis at the waist, the fact that the horizontal lines around the hips were broken up by a stronger diagonal line, the asymmetric neckline, the shoulder flash and the coverage elsewhere. Clearly no-one else agreed with me, which is why it found itself unloved and unwanted on a rail in Bicester but then again that's also why it cost less than £65 - so I can live with that!

 

This was its second outing so it has plenty more life in it yet, although being quite distinctive it's not the sort of dress that can be styled in lots of different ways. I just wore it with my husband's watch and a bangle studded with diamonds and pink sapphires which my husband bought for me one Christmas when I was 39 weeks pregnant with our youngest. Not only a pretty present, it was a pity present. You should have seen the state of me. Never mind, that time has passed and I still have the bangle to show for it (and the child too!)

 

Realising that thin heels would be a ridiculous idea on grass, I wore 1940's style gold t-bar sandals with a stack heel from Carvela, bought for half price in Selfridges five years ago now. I bought them having seen Kate Moss wearing these gold sandals to Leah Wood's wedding at around the same time. I thought that it would be nice to own something similar and as I walked through Selfridges one day, they jumped out at me. OK, so I doubt that KM's cost £45 ish from Carvela but I prefer mine due to their grass levitating qualities. KM's would undoubtedly have sunk without a trace. Having said that though, I wouldn't mind a nosy through her wardrobe sometime, just to see what else is lurking there.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mum on the Run - A Reiss printed summer dress - heels or converse? I think either will do.

Those days when you can wear just three pieces of clothing are the ones that I dream of all year - bra, pants, dress - job done. No need for layers, scarves, coats, jumpers, or vests - bliss. Yes, today I am vest free. It's almost as historic a moment as a British man winning Wimbledon.

 

I don't think that any of the dresses that I am planning on wearing this week are new, so forgive me if you have seen them before. I think that this Reiss dress is now into its second or third summer but I like a bit of longevity when it comes to clothes, which I bond with in the same way as some men bond with their cars. Speaking of men, Mr SG did the deed today and went to buy the bikinis. I haven't tried them yet - that's for another day.

This dress is an easy style to wear, especially now that I have my fashion tape!  A print is a great way of confusing the eye and keeping it on the move so as to stop it focusing in on anyone area. Here I wore it with my nude mango sandals but I will shortly be putting it with pale blue converse whilst I walk to collect our son from his leaver's disco at school. How bad would it be of me to sneak in a bit early to see if I can catch any of the action??!!! Yep, bad, I know. Right, I'm off.

Mum on the Run - When is a cardi not a cardi?

Sometimes only a cardi will do. Something which is open fronted so as to show a flash of the top being worn underneath - but sometimes a traditional cardi just doesn't feel right. Slightly dated, too work like, something like my grandma once wore, something I have owned for ages. Time for a change I think....

Don't get me wrong, over the years I have had many cardis in my wardrobe. For a while I loved the silk ones that Jigsaw did and I had them in a whole host of colours. Then boyfriend cardis became the rage, and Zara did/does brilliant ones for about £20. Boden is fantastic for cropped cardis, either cashmere or otherwise and also for crew neck and V-neck ones in a whole host of colours.  I also had a couple of ballet wrap ones from Fat Face and although I hadn't seen any for a while, Jigsaw has a cashmere ballet wrap in three colours.  Hobbs and Monsoon are great for boleros and Pure is one of the best for cashmere but sometimes these types of cardis just won't cut the mustard.

So, what are the alternatives and when is a cardi not a cardi? (Yes, I know I'm winging it on some of them so is it OK if we just focus on the "alternative" part of the question posed above, as opposed to the "when is a cardi not a cardi" part?)

...When it comes in the shape of a biker jacket. Open or done up, this one from Mint Velvet (£89) is a slightly more edgy alternative to a crew neck, button up to the neck, pastel option.

....When it's a swing cardigan. This Mint Velvet lace cardigan (£59) has a slightly boxy style and it would look lovely with just the top fastening done up. Worn over wider jeans and wedges, it would give a real 1970's feel.

 

....When it comes in a soft blazer style, such as this woven slouchy front jacket from Jigsaw (£69).

....When it's a Chanel inspired tweed knit, such as this one from Jigsaw (£198)

...When it's floral. OK, so this one is pushing the boundaries as it clearly is a cardigan but it's a very pretty one at that and would make a nice change from a plain one. Warehouse printed cardigan (£38)

...When it's made of a "non-cardi" style fabric, such as this lurex linen cardigan from Mango (£29.99), which also comes in a neutral colour and has elbow patches on it. There's also a lurex one at Reiss (£89) and a sparkly one at Jigsaw (£89)

....When it's less formal than a cardi type cardi, such as this All Saints sago pirate cardigan (£98) which is a fixed wrap style with a draped collar in a typical All Saints colour palette ie neutral.

...When it's just too cool to be a cardi, despite being called one! French Connection palm knitted cardigan (£75). I love this shade of blue and the seam details and different lengths make it that little bit special.

As I mentioned yesterday when blogging in the blazing heat, today we came to Wales where it is very un-hot (I know that's not a word but it describes the situation well) and where it is very un-dry (ditto). The journey was good, with everyone going in the opposite direction to us because clearly they knew something which we did not - namely that it was un-hot and un-dry. But anyway, as I sit here blogging with the fire lit, all is well with the world and tomorrow should be better. I think....

I think that these shoes remained on for all of 30 seconds after arriving, before being replaced by boots. I'm also wearing Cos grey skinny jeans (love the fact that they come in in-between sizes) and a cowl neck jumper from All Saints with a neon t-shirt underneath. I'm confident that tomorrow will see me out in my bikini!!!!