Holidaying in Cornwall - and a footwear (attempted) theft already!

So these next few posts were nearly the posts that weren't - if that makes sense! I thought that I had left my laptop charger at home which would have been a disaster for some and a relief for many. As it was the charger appeared this morning so I'm raring to go.....having said that, the photos are slow to load and there won't be any proof reading, so please forgive me. I'm just going to be hitting the button - and quite possibly regretting it!

Yesterday we left nice and early for our trip to Cornwall. We made great progress. In the first hour we had travelled 12 miles. Ho hum.

I was wearing comfortable jersey trousers and a lace top for the long journey and I was soothed by my lovely new sarong that I had with me (there are always temperature wars in the car between myself and Mr SG) which was a gift from Rachel at La Mandarine more of which I will tell you about in a day or so.

So far a lot of what we have been up to I have been posting on instagram (there's a button at the top left of the page if you would like to follow me there) but the blog is where you can read the story behind the pictures such as.....

How when I took this swimming costume out of the case, I noticed that the padding was missing. Having had three children and having spent approximately 4.5 years of my life breast feeding them, there was no way that I was appearing in this without a little "assistance". Luckily my running stuff (for some bizarre reason) had some extra padding in so one "boob padding" transplant later, and I was good to go.

Instagram also doesn't explain that whilst these goggles may be the best in the universe, they leave marks like no others, so that for the rest of the day I have to wear sunglasses.

Nor does it explain how I waited until 2 members of the family were sleeping and 2 were surfing until I ordered this. Yesterday it was attacked by everyone else. Not so much today!

Nor does it let on how I told Mr SG that this parcel, which arrived an hour after we arrived, was an early birthday present from the people at Boden. I so could have got that past him but I confessed that it was actually a skirt that wouldn't have reached me in time, had I ordered it to our home address.

But the funniest thing of all - and this will appeal to those who know Mr SG - someone tried to nick his crocs on the beach today. They are the flip flop style ones, at least 750,000 years old and he spotted their red (inner) soles on someone else's feet as he walked off in them. Mr SG gave chase, the bloke kicked them off and he was duly thanked for keeping them warm. Out of all the things to try to pinch eh? The crocs. Brilliant.

The Whistles Jersey Tube Skirt....don't be put off by the fact it's like a big bandage...

 

Today I combined three of my favourite elements in one outfit - navy, leopard print and lace. For the first time I wore my jersey tube skirt by Whistles (£55). I bought it with the Grazia discount offer way back at the start of the spring but held on to it until now.

When the weather gets warmer, sometimes its prudent for the hem line to get a little longer, rather than a little shorter (although this skirt does also come in a shorter length). It is really thick and supportive, rather like a big bandage I suppose but it's nice to wear and it does keep everything in place. There's no wobble when wearing this little number!

I have seen alternatives in other stores and people have mentioned the Topshop one to me but I would be reluctant to recommend any others without having tried them, due to issues of VPL, quality, thickness and such like. However believe me, wriggling into one is enough so for now I'll hand this one over and I'll let others make the recommendations.

Next time I wear this skirt I promise to accessorise in the Whistles way. Many apologies for forgetting my white sunglasses. Please forgive me (see below).

And just to illustrate the point that the skirt is like a huge bandage, I've included an image of it. See, no zips, buttons or anything else. A bit like those maternity bump support things really, only longer. I'm making it sound such an attractive option aren't I?! But no seriously it is comfortable and despite being fitted in nature, it's one that could be dressed down with skater trainers or converse - or indeed up, with heels and sparkles for the evening.

As we all know, tummies have a mind of their own during the day going from flat(ish) in the morning to looking 4 months pregnant by the evening (or even after breakfast) so a top which has a little length to disguise that particular issue, whilst still showing your hips/bottom is always an option.

Oh, and following on from yesterday, when my eyes were scanning the kitchen this morning I decided that the goldfish just have to go. They simply don't match the new yellow colour scheme. They're just too...well...gold. And the family are fine to eat as much fruit as they like, provided its lemons, melons or bananas. Other than that they're out of luck.

Bringing you the perfect lace top (and part of a fancy dress outfit!)

Whilst I think that it's fair to say that I probably wouldn't have bought these Karen Millen animal print trousers had it not been for the fact that we were going to an "Out of Africa" party, I really enjoyed wearing them today. I think that it was as much to do with the fit as anything else. They have a relatively high waist, are long enough in the body not to cut me in half, narrow enough in the leg to be fitted but wide enough for them not to catch on my calf.

I decided to stick with the monochrome scheme with a black GAP blazer, cream lace Warehouse top and nude sandals.  Here's an image of the Warehouse top, which is £30.

 For anyone on the hunt for a lace top, there's a lovely one in the Reiss sale which comes in black (£69) or off white (£79). It's a perfect going out for dinner/going to the pub type top when something more than a t-shirt is needed but nothing so fancy as your Dame Edna Everage sparkles.

I don't actually think that the model does the top justice. A little more in the boobage department definitely works well with this top, which is great as flattering tops for ladies with anything more than a little in the bust department can be hard to find.

So the moral of today's outfit?  Don't ignore those gems that you bought for a fancy dress party - you never know when they may come in handy. (Oh golly, the mind boggles. Abba outfit/80's outfit/70's outfit anyone?)

Today's shoes - What I wore, what I saw and what I bought....

 

Today, shoes featured quite heavily in my day. I had two meetings at opposite ends of town so predictably I had a pair of trainers with me just in case but these M&S block heeled leopard print shoes are so comfortable that I didn't have to change - which is a rarity for me when walking a distance. And it's really odd but whenever I wear these shoes, people always ask me where I got them from. They are always shocked by the response!

Clearly I only have one dress. This is the same Pia dress that I featured only a couple of days ago but I was on the 'phone whilst trying to get dressed so I had to go for something easy/stretchy and which wouldn't end up in me doing myself an injury. It was then easy just to thrown on the shoes and jacket before heading out of the door.  I think that here I am wearing the dress slightly longer than at other times of the day but that's what I like about it - it can be worn longer or shorter and I've even been known to put it on upside down - but that was in error.

On the way back across town there were four shops that were directly in my path, so they each got the once over. Jigsaw was first and although I tried on a couple of dresses, there was nothing that I loved enough (or more importantly which loved me enough) to justify buying it. Then, having felt a little bad about my comment about White Stuff yesterday, that too got a visit, just in case it had the perfect summer dress - but it didn't. It did have plenty of skirts though...

Then it was the turn of Coast, where I looked lovingly at the Ariel shoe (Coast £65 down to £30) but I concluded that, much as I liked them. I really didn't need these shoes in my life. Although looking at them again maybe I was wrong about that. I don't know about you but I always feel that it is important to acknowledge when one is wrong about something and to try to do something to fix it....

And these are what I bought today - wait for it - the Jack Wills Castley flip flop (£14.50) - I know, hardly a purchase of designer shoe magnitude. I've had a pair of Cath Kidston flip flops for a couple of years now but they are looking a little tired and given that they haven't included any in their collection this year, I have had to look elsewhere. For some reason I like a print on the base of the flip flop and the top part is my perfect shade of pink.

So that's my round up of the shoes I wore, the shoes I saw and the shoes I bought - for today at least!

The silver Oushka bag - ooooh golly it's lovely!

 

"I'd love to write about your bags" I wrote to Oushka after they started to follow me on twitter. Luckily they didn't think that it was such a bad idea and, having fallen in love with the metallic totes, I chose to write about the Clover handbag in silver (£155). It also comes in Rose Gold and Gold as well as Ginger and all are equally beautiful.

I don't know about anyone else but I'm a huge fan of a metallic bag, especially in the summer months and this one will go with everything from my favourite navy pieces through to pastels, neons and whites.

The bag is soft, unstructured, roomy and smells lovely - just like a leather bag should. No doubt that it will be perfect for those who carry a sleek ipad, a phone, a make-up bag of Chanel make up and some beautifully organised files - but it will work just as well for those of us who are more likely to be carrying a spare of flat shoes, a Boots lip gloss and some bashed up oat cakes.

It also comes with a detachable clutch bag, which could be used as an evening bag - or as a handy place to store keys/phone etc to stop them from dropping to the bottom of this beautifully tardis like bag.

See what I mean about its size? It can also be used to disguise your entire legs. I can imagine walking around the supermarket making strategic dance type moves with it to shield my legs from the unsuspecting public!

You can follow Oushka on twitter and facebook. For anyone on the look out for a gorgeous bag their Dover bag is definitely worth taking a look at.

Shades of grey in cashmere and a silver cardi/jacket to keep the cold at bay.

 

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope that you have managed to consume sufficient quantities of chocolate to make it feel like Easter, rather than just a normal chocolate type day.

A brief, but fruitful, shopping trip to Bicester distracted me from the usual Easter activity of chocolate for breakfast (well, when I was 9), lunch and dinner but there's plenty of time over the next few days to make up for it. 

As you know, I have been concentrating on outfits that offer warmth but which aren't too winter like in appearance. Some fabrics, such as denim and leather, aren't particularly warm in their own right but they act as a good barrier between you and the cold.

Today's combination centres around cashmere and a cardi (actually it's a soft cardi style jacket but I like alliteration!) the two of which together offer some real warmth. I love cashmere for it's warmth and softness although not to the exclusion of all other fabrics in an "Oh darling I only ever wear cashmere" type way but it is nice for a treat. Worn with jeans and these slip on plimsolls from Jigsaw (£59), which were really comfortable given it was their first outing, I was good to dodge the rain at Bicester. Normally I would add a statement necklace for colour but at the moment I quite like layering a couple of special silver necklaces that I own.

Now this was a lovely surprise from the children - a selection of my favourite chocolates, and crisps, for me to munch my way through. Can't imagine that will be a problem!

Mr SG and I were clearly singing from the same hymn sheet when it came to choosing Easter Eggs for one another. What I can't work out is whether we each chose that particular egg because we thought that the other would like to receive it, or because we would have liked to have received one ourselves. Either way, I can confirm that it is very tasty. (Well, his is. I haven't opened mine yet!)

Gray & Osbourn - an alternative to the High Street with pieces to fit and flatter (and we could all do with a bit of that!)

 

In today's post, I'm wearing clothes by Gray & Osbourn, specifically a striped jacket by Betty Barclay (£150) and cobalt blue slim leg jeans by NYDJ (£140) which I chose from their current collection.  I'm also wearing Dune leopard print shoes, an H&M T-shirt and a cream Warehouse bag. Before telling you about the clothes though, I want to tell you a little about Gray & Osbourn.

Gray & Osbourn is an online business described as "a stylish designer clothing boutique for women who love confident timeless fashion."

I work with many women of differing shapes, sizes and preferences, for whom the High Street doesn't always deliver. Finding a brand that has the potential to do just that always makes me gleeful and I file it away for future reference.  It's also nice to see different pieces which not every one will be wearing to the same event.

The great thing about Gray & Osbourn is that they stock clothes for those women who can't just walk into Zara and pick up a pair of jeans, or go to Topshop for a neat little fitted blazer - or perhaps they can but would rather choose not to because of quality or comfort issues. Really it's a bit like Atterley Road but for a slightly different market. Some of the occasion wear is lovely and for me they are particularly strong on trousers, stocking brands such as Michele jeans, which come in three different leg lengths. I've also had a lot of success with  my ladies with Michele trousers, which they also stock and which are great for those ladies with more of a tum and with less on the hips and bottom.

As to the NYDJ which I am wearing, they are designed to lift the bottom and flatter the tummy. I can really vouch for their comfort and the cobalt blue, I felt, were a nice change from indigo denim and just a little more modern. You can see from the photos that they are slightly big on me and their claim that you need to go down a size is true. Sadly for me they don't go down any further, otherwise I would try them.

As to the jacket, it's lovely to wear. Just my kind of thing - striped with a bit of coral, comfortable and not too trussed up!

There's also a good selection of flattering swimwear which uses ruching and support where it's needed most. Plus, there are some lovely pieces in the occasionwear which include dresses with sleeves, such as this navy beaded dress (£250).

There are also some lovely sparkly pieces, such as this beautiful silver maxi dress (£350).

Additionally there's this lovely black and neon layered jersey dress (£190).

 

So next time you're on the hunt for a pair of jeans that truly fits, a swimsuit that flatters in all the right places or a piece of occasionwear that not everyone else will be wearing, it may be a good idea to check Gray & Osbourn out.

Disclaimer: I haven't been paid to write this post and I don't know whether the clothes are intended for me to keep or whether they are to be returned - sometimes I just don't get around to sorting those things out until after I have posted. But if anyone really wants me to let them know once I know, I'm very happy to do so!

A cropped top? Seriously? Why yes. Don't look away just yet!

If I said that I was going to get a cropped top, I would imagine that everyone would think that I had lost my marbles because (surely) a cropped top equates to an exposed midriff. However a cropped top which doesn't show any midriff? Well there's a thought.

The silhouette of a fuller style skirt is often disadvantaged by the length of the top worn with it. The waistband gets covered, hiding the narrowest part of both the skirt and its wearer. So, for anyone with a fuller styled skirt in their wardrobe, I'm offering a different solution this season which will both update your wardrobe and make the skirt more flattering to wear. A little bit of imagination may be involved, that's all!

As to a couple of examples of this style of skirt, the palm tree skirt from Karen Millen (£99) is a nice option. It has a good length and the print, whilst pretty, isn't too girly.

For a more neutral option, the midi denim skirt Karen Millen (£129) is almost like the jeans equivalent of a skirt and therefore quite a safe option for anyone embracing the concept of a cropped top for the first time.

So as to tops.  Because the skirts are high waisted the cropped T-shirt Mango (£17.99) won't expose any tum but it will create a lovely silhouette and it's just a little bit different.

The cropped lace Tee Warehouse (£45), which also comes in white, is really pretty too. I have worked with this top (and very pleasant it was too) and it is definitely on the right side of cropped.

The palm leaf top Warehouse (£38) would work really well with a white midi length skirt although, as with the lace top above, both have a skirt to go with them which are worth taking a look at.

As to shoes, heels are always a great choice and I have to admit to being a little bit taken by these Glory High Shoes from Topshop (£58). If I chose to go with the denim skirt and white Mango lace T, these would be the shoes for me. Perhaps less so with the paint splatter skirt and/or palm print top - unless I was feeling very brave.

For those who may prefer something more subtle, they also come in this lovely mint  colour.

Luckily, Iva at Falling In Style has already paved the way for me by wearing this lovely outfit, in which she looks stunning. When the sun comes out, I will be happy to bear all but for now it's the parka and boots all the way for me.

How to look good naked...but I think that I prefer these ladies with clothes on! (From Warehouse, Coast, Karen Millen, Dune, Ted Baker, Jaeger)

 

Yesterday evening I was working with the Solihull BID  at the Mell Square Shopping Centre and specifically, with House of Fraser. The photo above shows the seating area where I sat and chatted to my ladies. Put together by the interiors team, I would quite liked to have picked it all up and taken it home with me.

These were part of the team with whom I was working.  Boy were they heavy (sorry ladies). Dressing these models was so tricky - their arms kept falling off, they wouldn't bend or move in the way that I wanted them too, I kept groping their boobs (and apologising to them)!  I have so much respect for the VMs who work with them on a daily basis in the confined space of shop windows.

The models were to be dressed in work wear so I wanted to include a dress option and a trouser option, print on the top half, print on the bottom half, colour, texture, matching bag and shoes, clashing bag and shoes, open shoes and closed shoes, together with classic, and more on trend, pieces.

Model 1 wore printed trousers and a pale blue lace top from Warehouse to reference the pale blue in the trousers, a Ted Baker mac with Dune shoes and bag - very matchy, matchy - but they could easily be separated out.

I love Dune for their range of inexpensive but stylish bags. They have a lovely coral one plus some nice tan and black ones too.

The great thing about these trousers is that there are so many colours with which to work. I felt that the print of the trouser and the texture of the top demanded a simple, classic shape in a coat.

The shoes are black at the back. I like the closed toe for those who don't feel that open toed shoes are appropriate at work. Love the leopard print lining in the coat too!

Model 2 sported a little neon and black number from Coast -which almost looks like a skirt and top option - together with a softly tailored jacket, also from Coast.

The leopard print bag is from Biba. I fancied introducing a print as a black bag, whilst safe, was a bit too predictable. The patent shoes were from Kurt Geiger.

I wanted to break the neon pink up, so chose this large linked necklace from Karen Millen. I like this necklace for work. It's really versatile and has a good weight to it, with just a little bit of bling in the smaller links.

Model 3 wore a printed kimono style jacket from Yumi, a cream Warehouse top, Episode trousers, Dune shoes and a Jaeger bag.

I love the colours in this softly tailored jacket as there are so many different ones that could be picked up elsewhere in an outfit. It would also be great with jeans at the weekend. The Warehouse top has a slight texture to it and the necklace, which picks up the brown shades in the jacket, is from Ted Baker.

I love this Jaeger bag! It's as near as it needs to be to the shade of blue in the jacket and the shoes pick up the coral in the jacket. The shoes may be a bit high for work but maybe not. The trousers are a lovely fabric - nice and drapey with just the right amount of room in the leg.

Ladies, it was lovely working with you - even the ones that were rigid and not very chatty!

My favourite printed dresses on the High Street - and what they can do for you...

 

I realise that you've seen this dress several times before but I still like wearing it and I wanted to do a run down of some nice printed dresses that I have seen recently.

Printed dresses are good on several levels. They keep the eye on the move and give a cleaner silhouette (Oh OK, let's be honest, they hide lumps and bumps) they can add colour and interest to your wardrobe and a dress in a print of the season can look so much more up to date than its plain counterpart.

This Riviera shirt dress Boden (£69) - otherwise christened "my Kirsty Allsop" dress by a lady I was working with today, is a great dress for hourglass figures. It's beautifully fitted over the bust, without any gaping, nips in at the waist and then flares gently over the hips. With nude wedges it's a really simple, elegant look.  My only advice would be to tie the belt to one side (rather than over the tummy as above) just where you have those little "dips". Also try to make the belt as flat as possible, rather than tying it in a bow which can add bulk.

The Atlanta dress from Coast (£75) has a great big bloomin' print (literally) over the upper torso, which can serve to either attract, or distract, attention from a particular area. So if that's where you want to draw attention - either because of a shapely bust or a flat stomach - or if you want to use it as a diversion away from curvier hips - or just because you like it - this is the dress for you. The colours in the print are quite unusual and I really like the pale pink which I would pick out in accessories.

 

This abstract floral print dress Warehouse (£46) is the current version of the dress that I am wearing. The model wearing the dress on the website is 5ft 10" so don't be put off by how short it looks on her. I like the grey, lilac and yellow in this dress, which would look good with a jacket such as this one from Zara (£59.99). It's a great style with a lovely pleat at the back.

This Forget me knot midi dress Great Plains (£65) is a simple shape in a stretch cotton fabric which offers support. A dress with a sleeve and a good length such as this can be hard to come by so this is a particular favourite of mine. It also comes in a different colour way.

Here's a little collage of the dresses, which I then decided wasn't as good as the individual images but it took me so long to do, that I've decided to leave it in anyway - plus the links may be quite handy!

 

Clockwise from top left:

 

Riviera shirt dress Boden (£69)

 

Forget me knot midi dress Great Plains (£65)

 

Abstract floral print dress Warehouse (£46)

 

Atlanta dress from Coast (£75)