Beach time but not a bikini in sight. Nope, for me it's a petit bateau yellow coat...

[Raincoat petit bateau, shorts GAP, Jumper Reiss, Wellies Joules, Sunglasses Jigsaw]

Sometimes when there's a mammoth task in front of you (in this case building an ancient sandcastle city) the only thing to do is to throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. I find that new buckets and spades which co-ordinate with your outfit helps, as does a whole lot of energy and enthusiasm. Then when everyone starts to fade, it's time for lunch and one of these for dessert.....

This spectacular treat was from Scoops in Caernarfon, which is famed for its Dutch pancakes and Artisan ice cream. It's definitely worth a visit if you're ever in North Wales. Hope that everyone is enjoying their hols!

A metaphorical walk through the summer season at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens...

(Outfit: Gap trousers, French Connection shirt £45, Stan Smith trainers - all current)

Yesterday I styled and presented a charity lunch for 200 ladies at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens - a place which is dear to my heart and which will probably be known to many of you. The glass in the glasshouses is 100 years old and desperately needs replacing, so the aim of the lunch was to help to raise money towards the £1m target. I was invited by the Trustees and the Gardens' PR Company to style the event way back in February and it was lovely to see everything come to fruition at last.

I always start such busy days in really casual, practical clothes because there is a huge amount of running around to do before an event starts. I usually end up getting changed in a cupboard about two minutes before we start, which was exactly the case yesterday.

The function rooms at the Botanical Gardens have recently been re-furbished and they looked amazing. It's a great venue for a wedding or function and the gardens are so beautiful that you can be sure of fantastic photographs. So much thought and effort went in to making everything look fantastic which was no mean feat for small but very dedicated team.

The clothes for the event were lent to me by House of Fraser, Reiss, Jigsaw and Karen Millen, with bits and bobs bought from other brands.

This is a very grainy shot of the ladies in their "Ascot" look but I like the relaxed feel to it. We had a couple of press photographers so I will share some more photos at a later date. During the event we took a metaphorical walk through the summer season, covering looks for a wedding, Henley, a trip to the tennis plus a festival or picnic. Some of the hats for the Ascot look were provided by Sally from Sharper Millinery. For anyone who needs a hat for a special event, Sally is the lady to contact!

Although I had been doing the groundwork for several weeks, the clothes and shoes were finally collected on Monday, taken home to be hung up and organised, packed and taken to the event on Wednesday, packed and returned home Wednesday night and re-packed to be returned to the stores today. This is how I was looking this morning - a little wrung out I think - and still wearing trainers, albeit different ones, for more dashing around town.

(Outfit: GAP trousers, Jigsaw coatigan £149, Whistles scarf  £45, (all current) Nike trainers, Kate Spade bag - older)

Printed trousers - love them or loathe them they have been around for a while and no doubt they are here to stay...

Trousers: Topshop, Sweatshirt: Dotty P, Jacket: Oasis, Bag: Oushka; Shoes: Next

From time to time it's quite refreshing to wear a pair of printed trousers. Like many things they can be styled up or down quite easily, depending on which shoes/jacket/jewellery they are put with.

Sometimes people can shy away from printed trousers for fear that they won't be terribly flattering but there is pretty much a print out there for everyone, whether it's floral, graphic, spotty or striped. Some have a subtle vertical print in them which can be elongating. A low grade print, where the difference between the darkest and lightest shades isn't that marked, can be easier to wear than very bright prints with lots of different colours in them. A print with a darker background can also be more flattering as can a smaller print, rather than a large bloom, plus of course a heel always helps. There are lots of printed trousers on the High Street at the moment but these are some of my favourite...

Reiss Olivia Trousers (£110) - prints are very personal things but I love this print that Reiss has this season. They also do a dress, skirt and top in this print - just in case the trousers don't appeal!

These French Connection drape trousers (£75) have a different feel to them than the Reiss ones, which are more tailored. For those who don't particularly like a floral print, this ripple effect pattern may be more appealing.

As a starting point, a monochrome look can work well and the Jigsaw tile print soft trousers (£98) are really versatile as they can be worn with brighter coral/raspberry/yellow/turquoise colours, which will also draw the attention to the top half.

Warehouse has a great selection of printed trousers, many of which are in the sale at he moment. The Warehouse Lily print trousers (£27) are a great neat style with a lovely colour palette.

And for any fans of cornflower blue, the Warehouse  Poppy print trousers (£28.50) are a real winner. Both of these Warehouse styles are fitted in the leg but not too skinny - a classic cigarette style.

So how do you feel about printed trousers? Do you love them or hate them? I agree that they can be a little bit marmite but I promise, there is something for everyone.

Nautical, floral and khaki all at the same time? And how can we lighten our outfits when the temperature outside is only a few degrees above zero?

Having come this far down the "it's no longer winter so I'm not going to dress like it any more" track, I've decided that there's no going back. No more Boden polo - which I've pretty much lived in since Christmas, no more boots, no more heavy coats. But when the outside temperature in the morning is still only a few degrees above zero, what to do?

• Lightening the colours but not the fabric can make all the difference, so these utility GAP trousers look slightly less winter like than the same style but in black;
• A heavy cotton jumper like this striped Reiss one is lighter in its colour palette and general feel but its weight still offers warmth, so it's great for this time of year and also for when the summer is on its way out;
• Pointed block heels, again in a lighter colour, are less heavy than a boot but not quite so lightweight as a sandal/slide which it was too cold to wear this morning, although we got there later in the day. And bare ankles are a concession that I can just about handle right now. 

Tell me, is this a sign of the times? When the youngest comes in first thing in the morning and I ask her what the weather is like, rather than looking out of the window, she asks for my phone so that she can check the app. I'm still trying to get my head around that one!

Dressing for the sun in my "Indian Summers" inspired outfit - in the very loosest sense!

The more I think about what I've written below, the more I realise...well, I'm not sure what I realise. Anyway, all I can say is, please just humour me!

I know, don't laugh, it's only a pair of wide jeans and a white shirt, but this is my "Indian Summers" outfit. I guess that it's more to do with the silhouette and the fact that it doesn't contain ripped jeans, skinny jeans, flared jeans or trainers - as opposed to anything else.

For anyone who hasn't been watching, Indian Summers is a drama which tells the story of the decline of the British Empire and the birth of modern India. As you would imagine there's a lot of "no good, argy bargy" stuff going on it and the clothes are beautiful; very stylish and simple, typical of the era. OK, so I was playing crazy golf in my outfit rather than croquet and I wasn't wearing a dress, a hat, or gloves either, but in my head I could see the similarities. Sort of.

I bought these Whistles wide leg jeans (£95 minus the 25% Grazia discount) quite a few weeks ago now as an alternative to skinnies and I held on to them until the timing was right.

The shirt is a Boden one that I have had for a couple of summers and the gold chain belt is from Reiss. The Jigsaw bag is probably ten years old. Incredibly, a very observant instagram follower in Brisbane recognised it as the bag that I had repaired by the handbag clinic a couple of years ago. Impressive!

These Aldo sandals may just have come my way yesterday when it became clear that the sun was promising to shine for a few more days. As you know I've had my eye on them for a while and so far, so good. I wore them for the whole day (they're not very Indian Summers I admit) and they were really, really comfortable.

Loving seeing everyone out and about having fun in the sun. Hope that it continues for many more days yet.

It may still be too cold for an ankle flash and I don't dare to bare my legs, so the only answer is to lighten the colour palette....

Zara coat, Boden jumper and jeans, Marc Jacobs bag, Whistles boots, Reiss scarf

I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to those days when it's warm enough to go without socks or, just imagine this, tights! The thought of losing a layer is bliss but for now, that's not going to happen. Despite today's sun it was still only 3 degrees (cue a 1970's pop song) so whilst in my head it was sunny enough to be in a floaty summer dress, in reality it was anything but.

However, lightening the colours can lift the spirits, so after choosing a lighter coloured jumper I followed the trend with a lighter coloured coat and a scarf too. I drew the line at a bag of the same colour. That would have been a Duchess of Cornwall step too far.

How to wear a slightly more challenging trouser shape....and EVERYONE should have one of these....

[Carvela shoes, Baukjen trousers, Topshop jumper, Reiss leather jacket, Paul Costelloe bag, necklace from friend]

When you're used to skinnies, getting away from them can be really difficult, especially when it's to a trouser shape that is more relaxed, printed and with a little width around the ankle. Flares? Not a problem as they're still fitted around the hips and thighs and with heels, they're a flattering style in their own right. Wide legged trousers? Again not a problem as they are classic and if the cut is good, they can be very flattering. But as for a bit of a half way house style like these? Well they are more challenging and here's why....

• They have an elasticated waist and a less sexy waistband I cannot imagine, other than maybe the ones with buttons inside like kids trousers but then no-one tends to know about those. On the plus side, when you're off out to dinner with a friend who makes the best brownies ever, an elasticated waistband is quite handy;
• The length - not ankle length but not full length either (selling them well aren't I?!)
• From the side I can look hideous in this style trouser and I should know because I've tried lots of them. Short and dumpy would be a good description;
• Quite often the fabric can be very thin, allowing for every wibble, wobble and dimple to be shown to the world. 

However, when I tried the Felsted print trousers from Baukjen (£59 reduced from £99 and which I must have had for about 5 weeks now) I quite liked them. The fabric was of a good quality and they fell well. Then I cut the label off them, meaning that I could no longer return them, at which point (of course) I became unsure whether I liked them or not. So anyway I just decided to wear them.  And having worn them, these are my conclusions/solutions:

• Cover the elasticated waistband (obviously) and no-one will be any the wiser;
• Heels will avoid the dumpy feeling - and I should know because I tried them with trainers and they looked hideous;
• Choose a quality and/or printed fabric, all of which will help with lumps/bumps/and spare bottom cheeks which seem to appear at a certain age;
• When I have time I might play with the length by rolling them up a little but the fabric is quite slippery so they would probably just do their own thing anyway.  And in the summer I am going to try a chunky birkenstock type sandal which will either work really well, or make me look well dodgy.

Personally I think that a coloured shoe would work with these trousers (wardrobe gap alert!) and having come across the Milly suede shoe at Jigsaw (£149, although the lipstick shade are £74 and I'm also sure that I saw purple ones yesterday) I think that they could work for lots of us for lots of occasions. Of course there are loads of other styles too - much trendier and New Look/Primark would be my shop of choice for those styles - but for a good staple, these are pretty impressive and the leather that Jigsaw uses is always really, really soft.

After all my hours of wardrobe construction, I thought that I would share my favourite one with you. It has some of my bags, most of my jewellery, scarves and going out shoes in it and sometimes I just go and look at it because I love it so much. When the world around me is a little chaotic, my cupboard is calm and serene. Which makes me very happy but equally a complete saddo too (but I don't care!) 

Lots of my bracelets/bangles and cuffs were from friends of mine so I take great pleasure in looking at them and thinking of my lovely friends too. I think that we could probably all do with one  of these cupboards in our lives - even if it's only a weeny one.

A little casual sparkle (from Victoria's Secrets) for a day of DIY!

This is the type of outfit that you wear when you've spent hours putting Ikea wardrobes together, only to realise that it's time that you should be at school and that you don't have time to change. So what to do? Ah-ha! That's where a black blazer and a big scarf comes in handy - and as luck would have it, a trend for joggers and trainers. Oh how I love these times of dressing down - imagine that in the 1940's!

I bought these black joggers from Victoria's Secret just before Christmas. They have a slight sparkle to them and they needed a good wearing in, which they certainly had today.  Last Friday I went to Ikea and bought 3 wardrobes and whilst I was working on Saturday, Mr SG duly took delivery of 32 boxes/packets.  Mind you, he had the last laugh because I have spent more than a few hours turning said 32 boxes into three wardrobes. Oh yes, I'm now so au fait with the construction of PAX wardrobes that I can put them together without looking at the instructions.

Tomorrow everything should come together beautifully (famous last words) as that is when all the doors will go on and the internal fittings will be finalised. And then? And then I will have about 15 bags of rubbish to take to the dump. Oh the glamour!

An outfit for any event or occasion - something we could all do with having a few more of.

[Boden waxed skinnies, Whistles boots, Kate Spade bag, & Other Stories top, Reiss jacket, Damart gilet] 

It's always the way isn't it? When I want to blog the most, I have the least time to actually do it, which is a shame as there are so many new clothes out there that I want to share with you. I've started putting a post together with some outfit ideas so hopefully I might get it out tomorrow.

This week I have been shopping for three events and the house looks like a small department store/tip!

In the conservatory I have 30 outfits for the "Camping, Caravan and Motorhome Show" which is on next week. I've always wanted to go to it as I love bijou spaces and seeing what you can get in them. I was asked to style and present the fashion/style element which is new this year but as we're away I couldn't, however I got to do the styling and shopping for it so it wasn't all bad. Shopping for 10 people (2 families of four plus two extras) has been great fun and a pretty mammoth task. I think that my longer than average arms are now even longer after all the bags I've been carrying.

At the same time I was shopping for a Style Party for seven, so that has seen me giving the shops a good going over. And at the same time as that, I was shopping for suits/work wear to take along to a talk that I gave to a group of soon to be sixth formers at a local school. The upstairs of the house is full of skiing gear as we're heading off on holiday fairly soon so although people are always welcome at our house, there isn't actually anywhere to sit.

Today has seen me undertaking various jobs from talking at the school this morning, to sorting and packing the outfits for the camping show, to preparing the notes for the presenter, doing several school runs and going to a parent's evening. I needed a "one size fits all" outfit and this one did it for me - although I must admit to swapping the trousers for Topshop tracksuit bottoms when doing the sorting, packing, crawling around on the floor and labelling all the outfits in preparation for next week.

The trick now is to find a few more "one size fits all" outfits. The boxes that it has to tick are quite long - comfortable shoes, easy to move in bottoms, warm layers but an outfit which isn't a Onesie and a pair of trainers. I think that I may have to give it some further thought.

A style staple plus Sienna Miller's hair and is it me or does Catherine ZJ look more and more like VB?

Carrying on with my plan to wear everything in my wardrobe, a pea coat is a style of coat that never goes out of fashion. It's a timeless classic and if you're thinking of investing in any type of coat, this is one that will last for years - along with a biker style jacket, a leather jacket, a trench coat or a camel coat. Other styles come and go and they are nice to own in an exciting, heart missing a beat kind of way, but as they may only last a few seasons they are probably more of a Zara/Topshop buy.

I had my first pea coat when I was about 23 and wanted to replace it after it had served me very well. This one from Reiss I bought in their post Christmas sale about 4 years ago now and provided that I don't grow out of it, it should last me for many years to come.

Now I may be a bear of very little brain but it just can't deal with this picture. It keeps trying to make it into Victoria Beckham. The similarities between her and Catherine ZJ are starting to become a bit spooky and my little brain finds is very confuddling.

Although in fairness I can't really comment about people coveting other people's looks because if I had hair that I could cut into this choppy bob, I so would. As it is it would take me forever to grow my short style out and knowing me after a few months I would cut short again so there's no point in even going there - but somehow I can't stop thinking about it which is always a bad sign.

An outfit of navy and burgundy with a J Crew jumper thrown in for good measure...

[Whistles jeans, Ash trainers, Reiss bag, Boden scarf, Zara coat, Cos jumper]

When it's cold, and when it's a weekend - with all that entails between myself and Mr SG in the battle of the thermostat - there's only one jumper for me to wear, a thick navy one from Cos, who are definitely one of the best brands for warm knitwear. With a vest and two long sleeved tops underneath plus a scarf, all was good on the chilly front. The scarf, bag and Ash wedge trainers delivered the little bit of burgundy that I was after to go with the navy, for my trip to.....the shoe shop for school shoes. So glam! When I've got so many layers on and my torso is warm, I can get away with my sleeveless Zara coat which is sort of liberating on the arm front. I know, fancy that, a sleeveless coat in the middle of winter. Living life on the edge again.

Speaking of thick jumpers, I have been after a cable knit/fisherman's jumper for a couple of winters now and then when I was on the J Crew site the other evening, I came across this Aran sweater (£60) which was just what I was after but which kind of flummoxed me because I couldn't work out why it was £60, given that it was made of merino wool and given that it was on the J Crew site. Anyway, I finally bought it on Saturday morning but I remained intrigued as to its cost so I dug a bit further and realised that it must be to do with the fact that it was made by Aran Crafts (TM) who, it transpires have their own site where they stock.....

...the very same (I think) Aran Crafts sweater for £57.11. (Really sorry about the pic, I can't get a better one but if you go to the site you can have a closer look.)

So given that J. Crew have practically sold out, it might be possible to get one direct from Aran Crafts instead, which would be a good thing on many levels. It's great that J. Crew are stocking the sweaters and it's good to see that there isn't a huge mark up compared to the Aran Crafts site but sometimes it feels right to buy direct from the company who makes them (and who has been since 1856, apparently). I'll report back when mine has arrived....

Casting aside those trousers in favour of a dress - nothing too drastic and not for too long but it's a start....

There, I did it. Hardly a great achievement is it, waking up in the morning and deciding to wear a dress, especially of the jersey variety, but habits can be hard to break and I have definitely been in trouser mode of late.

Easing myself back into this dress malarky I wore this Jersey striped dress from Jigsaw (£63 but only available in M and L although there's this alternative striped tunic dress from Per Una which is £39.50) with a white shirt layered underneath and a black Reiss jacket. The white shirt just softens the dark colour of the dress against my "winter skin" plus of course it also adds a layer of warmth. Thick black tights and Whistles pony hair loafers meant that I was totter free zone.

So has anyone else ventured into dress territory of late? The smattering of snow that greeted us this morning meant that it was back to trousers today but I live in hope of a little spring sun sometime soon.

Happy New Year! - I know it's a little late but there's a good reason for it......

[Outfit: Hush dress, Seven Boot Lane boots, Reiss jacket, Hobbs necklace]

I wrote the following post on New Year's Eve, the Eve before I was cruelly struck down with tonsillitis. I haven't even managed to leave the house so far this year. Soon I'll be appearing on my own TV show "the woman who woke up one day and never left the house again." Actually I lie, I've been out once to go to see the Doctor and can you believe that the first money I spent in 2015 was on anti-biotics? Lucky I didn't have a no spending ban in operation. 

I could have passed this post over but I haven't written anything else, or worn anything that anyone would want to see, ever, so here goes. Hope that you are all keeping well and Happy New Year. Thank you for being such a lovely bunch of readers! 

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I should know myself by now. I should know that when ever there's a big event coming up - a birthday, the day before Christmas, the day before we go on holiday, the day before the NEW YEAR that I get this sudden urge to clean. "Oh" I think to myself, "wouldn't it be lovely to go to bed in clean bedding, to wake up to a newly cleaned kitchen and fresh bathrooms, to have cupboards that are neat and tidy and full of folded clothes." I should know that the tidal wave of needing to clean is on its way but I never anticipate it until WHAM, it arrives and then it's too late. I just have to get on with it.

Which is why I found myself doing all of those jobs this afternoon. I scrubbed the kitchen island to within an inch of its life. I even turned the toaster upside down and shook it over the sink (unwise unless you want a blocked sink), plus I emptied out the crumb trays, cleaned behind the bread maker, took all of the rubbish out, polished the kettle, washed the tea pot and wiped out the fruit bowl, all the while thinking that I needed to be ringing friends and family to wish them a Happy New Year.

We went over to some friends for the New Year and as we were walking there and as it was cold, flimsy glamour was not the order of the day - or night. I've only worn this Hush dress once but it's really warm and with a jacket over the top it gave me the warmth that I needed. OK so the boots are more practical than glam but the pavements were hideously slippery.

I should have pre-programmed a twitter message to go out and I should have written something on facebook to wish you all a Happy and healthy New Year but I didn't get around to it, so I apologise to you, as I do to all of my friends and family for not getting in touch but I'm sorry I was cleaning....

Livto - the go to jewellery brand for personalised, hand made jewellery at a great price.

 

When I was styling the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter Lifestyle event, I came across the jewellery brand Livto which I immediately fell in love with.  

Not only do I like their jewellery but the Livto story is lovely too. It's amazing how many businesses start out with best friends from school getting together and making "their own rules" and it was the same with Kate and Gemma, the creators of Livto. Taking simple coins, they stamp words or phrases on them - there's a selection of twelve quotes, or it's possible to choose your own quote of 17 letters for £5 extra (different criteria apply to different items).  I love the fact that the business is made of only a tiny team and that everything is made by hand and individually wrapped by the girls.

 

I'm wearing the double rose gold necklace (£27.99) together with the tan leather bracelet (£20). Livto also make silver bangles which can be personalised and with Rose gold being so popular at the moment, this Rose gold bracelet (£25) is a real winner and makes a fab Christmas present.

There's a huge trend at the moment for personalised things - from monogrammed luggage, to notebooks with quotes on them, to gifts bearing your children's name or indeed your own name. There's something so special about receiving a personalised gift and the Livto jewellery is brilliantly priced.

In addition to Livto jewellery and the Mint Velvet top and Boden coated jeans that I'm wearing (neither of which seem to be available any more which is a bit rubbish!) I'm wearing  the Carter boots from the Reiss outlet (£95). I whipped them off the feet of my sister in law when she was here. Apparently she was after some Reiss boots and the staff in her local store directed her towards the Reiss outlet (online) which has a great selection of past season pieces at a reduced price - so another little gem to peruse when you have a spare five mins.

Another glamourous lady in a leather skirt from Oasis, plus some Zara and Reiss

 

Carrying on from my last post, another of the outfits that we covered at our Glamour Evening last week was the school carol service, which for us is held in the (slightly chilly) chapel, with one service being held in the evening.

I think that it's probably fair to say that this outfit is perhaps a little OTT for a carol service but then again the evening was all about Glamour. You may recognise the coat from a post in the not too distant past!

The few shots below show you what we were getting up to.  Further down is a clearer pic of the outfit, with links where possible. 

For info the outfit comprises a green leather pencil skirt, sparkly jumper, pink statement necklace and pink clutch and a Zara fur coat.

I liked the idea of a leather skirt for the Christmas period for a number of reasons. First, it's a little different and this one is a good price. The green is a nice change from black too. It's warm (always a bonus) and it can be dressed up or down over the next few weeks - a looser crew neck jumper and ankle boots would work just as well as this cropped sparkly jumper and heels.

The combination of the shorter jumper and higher waisted skirt does a great job of elongating the legs too.

Aside from the coat, which is from Zara and the bag which is from Reiss, everything else is from Oasis, who have some great pieces at the moment.

The above shot shows the Grace leather pencil skirt (£85), Sparkle crop jumper (£35), Cara sparkle fabric court shoes (£40) which are great as they aren't too high. The necklace doesn't appear to be online but there are, or were, plenty in the stores.

 

 

Not quite 50 shades of grey...but there are definitely a few!

 "Click." That was the sound of the heating being clicked on to constant as Mr SG left the house for the day for his annual conference. The house is totally toasty now!

Today I took the youngest on her first shopping trip. Generally either I have chosen her clothes for her, or she's worn her sister's hand me downs but now that she has reached the grand old age of 6 (nearly 7) she liked the idea of choosing a few bits of her own.

She was so excited and I know that she loves it when I wear a skirt or dress so I wore this Whistles skirt from last year, with a Topshop jumper, flat Whistles shoes and a Reiss leather jacket that I bought in the sales at the end of the summer. It's the first time that I have worn it and it felt really lovely. I've always loved Reiss leather jackets and as my Oasis one was looking shabby it needed replacing but at about £450 a shot I didn't think that it would ever happen. And then, right at the end of the sale I came across this one for about £180 - not an insignificant amount I realise but I knew that it was now or never, so I took the plunge.

 

We did a one stop trip to M&S which came up trumps with some lovely pieces in the sale. The Autograph range was great and it's definitely worth a look, with some really pretty, age appropriate clothes. I loved this Autograph floral skirt (£16 to £18) - it's very Ted Baker - but I kept quiet and we came home with a skirt with cats on instead.

And this Autograph organza skirt (£12 to £13) is so ethereal...

I have just come across the silver Autograph boots (£40) online. They go up to a size 6, for anyone tempted with some silver Chelsea boots.

Next we went to Clarks for some shoes, where we were told that they didn't actually make any shoes in the size that our daughter had been measured as needing (12D), which kind of threw me, but would we like some wellies or slippers that we didn't actually go in for and which wouldn't have really fitted her anyway but which we might need because it was getting colder. Eh? That would be a no then.

This was one of our other projects for the day. Replacing the covers on the left hand chair with the new sausage dog oil cloth print which is available at John Lewis. You cannot imagine how much fun, and how satisfying it is, using a staple gun. It's much better than trying to build a gingerbread house. I shall be changing my name Linda Barker.