It's chunky, it's grey and it comes from Zara....

Give me a chunky sweater with a turtle neck and a bell sleeve and I'm there! Just as I was with this Zara bell sleeved sweater (£29.99).

Yes I know that I look a bit fuzzy in the top pic and a bit dweeb like and nerdy in the bottom one. I have no idea what was going on but sometimes you've just got to go with the flow and roll with the punches (as they say). I think that it was the absence of a bag. I just don't know what to do with my arms. But then again frankly my biggest concern these days is not scaring you all to death with my wrinkles. The rest I can deal with.

I do like the jumper though. Its modern shape is good plus it's soft and snuggly and I seem to be wearing it a lot at the moment. The anthracite grey is also a good colour - it has depth without being black.

It also comes in a maroon colour which makes a pleasant change from the usual black/grey/navy/camel options at this time of year. For now I'm going to leave you with a lovely picture of a young girl wearing said maroon jumper, who really won't be scaring you with her face. I can feel your relief!

The fashion issues we face as the winter approaches - Part 1

Before the weather gets too cold, roll up your sleeves, flash your ankles and enjoy the autumn sunshine (says she as the rain batters the windows!)

When it starts to get colder I've found that as long as I stick to pieces in heavier fabrics, I can still put together a look that's not head to toe jumpers. Silkier tops in lighter fabrics have to go by the wayside for me come the start of September, unless they are layered underneath a whole host of jumpers. So the blouse is a heavy denim one from Zara, the jeans are pretty sturdy ones from Whistles and the knitted sleeveless waistcoat is from Warehouse. There may be a layer or two under the blouse too, just for good measure, which means that I can get away without a "proper" coat.

I would be interested to know what your tips are for keeping warm when the weather gets colder - without sacrificing style. And has anyone actually found any knee highs/pop socks which can be worn with ankle length fitted "work" trousers but which don't stick to them?  I was having this discussion with a friend yesterday as she had spent the previous day trying to run a presentation whilst surreptitiously trying to flick her leg so as to get her trousers down to their proper length as they had stuck to her pop socks. Oh the fashion issues we face as the winter approaches.

An outfit for the school run....

Yesterday I had to buy an umbrella. And why did I have to do that? Well, I insisted on walking to school without (in my defence) realising that the heavens were going to open. But they did - big style - and I had three choices a) to wait until lunchtime for the rain to stop before walking home (tempting but lurking in the doorway of our local M&S for three plus hours probably wouldn't have been a good look) b) to get my new Oasis coat soaked (not flippin' likely) c) to buy an umbrella. Or as my friend pointed out, there was an option d) which would have been to get a cab - and in fairness this would have been cheaper. Anyway the youngest thought that it was highly amusing and that it served me right for making her walk/scooter to school. She'll thank me when she's older. Actually scrap that, who ever thanks their parents for making them walk to school? They just torture them with the fact, making them feel guilty at family gatherings.

When I'm dressing for the school run - as opposed to the school "drive" I always work from the ground upwards. Adidas trainers, new Whistles high rise skinny jeans (bad move on a Monday morning - breathing is actually quite necessary in life, or rather, for life), silk shirt, one of my favourite slogan jumpers (New Look special last winter) and my new coat - which created a whole little story of its own.

Capes, ponchos, sleeveless coats - I'm trying to get as much wear as possible out of the lot of them before the winter sets in and it's thermals and duvet style coats all the way!

Hope that you're all having a good week, dodging the rain and not spending your pennies on unnecessary purchases as a result of being a sparent (stubborn parent - it's an addition to the tiger mother/helicopter parent/snowplough parent theme - poor, I know but it's the best that I can come up with!)

Lace Skirts - for now, for the winter, and forever!

I love a bit of lace. Top or bottom, it can just make you feel just a little bit more special than an "every day" type of fabric such as denim.

I bought this lace skirt from Jigsaw way back at the start of the summer and it's now in the sale for £79, with pretty good availability too, being available in sizes 8/10/14.

Although technically it's a summer skirt, it is substantial enough for me to keep in my wardrobe for a few more weeks yet and perhaps right through the winter.

From what I've seen out and about, there will still be plenty of lace skirts in the shops over the winter. Firstly, I came across this one in Zara (£49.99), which I love styled here with the (almost) mid calf length ankle boots

Secondly I spotted this lace pencil skirt, also from Zara (£39.99), which is in THE colour of the season....burgundy. It's great that is has a top to go with it, making a whole outfit should the need arise.

Marks and Spencer has this lace skirt in Autograph for £55. It's a little bit less "fashiony" than the Zara ones and arguably slightly easier to style mostly because of its knee length which is, as a general rule, more flattering and easier to wear than midi-length skirts - particularly with flats.

There's also this gorgeous fluorescent lace pencil skirt from Topshop (£65) which is lovely and vibrant for the winter months plus the taupe background makes a nice change from the usual suspects of black/navy/grey/burgundy.

And for the petite ladies amongst you, M&S has kindly obliged and designed this lovely Rose Lace Pencil skirt, which is £39.50.

Please someone put me out of my misery and tell me that I'm not going mad when I say that I'm sure that I saw a navy blue lace skirt very similar to mine in Whistles yesterday. I'm convinced that I did. Didn't I?

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has watched the YouTube vlogs. Thank you for your views, for subscribing and for your comments. Also a big thanks to Helen for the lovely comment on the blog yesterday with pointers on things to cover. All I can say is, don't go out and buy a sleeveless coat before watching the next vlog!

Neutrals and how to wear them if, as a rule, they don't really like you that much!

Today's post is just a quick OOTD. Generally I don't wear too many outfits made up entirely of neutrals. Many neutrals just seem to wash me out and I'm better with colours which have some depth to them, just as you might expect given my dark colouring. However I really like this Boden cardi/jacket that I bought in the sale last year (similar here) and it seems to work OK with this & Other Stories printed blouse (similar (ish) here (£45). It's all quite soft and muted but I think :) that I can just about get away with it. A bit of colour from the sun probably doesn't harm either.

I carried on the "light" theme with some white Whistles jeans and pale suede Jigsaw ankle boots (available here in a size 36) - but then stuck a navy Whistles bag with it all, in all probability just because it was handy.

On this particular day I needed a little warmth but I didn't want to head straight for the winter pile of clothing. Nope, for now I'm hanging on to those lighter shades for dear life.

Wishing you all a lovely Sunday. I think that we have some sun due next week. Yipppeeee!  Beth x

My Style Evolution in conjunction with Marks and Spencer - and it involves dresses (with sleeves!)

Many of you will already be familiar with Marks and Spencer's current campaign entitled "Style Evolution". M&S is celebrating women who have embraced style change at certain milestones and phases in their life. The campaign started back in June,  with six bloggers, including Amanda (the Online Stylist) and Rachel (Lady M Presents) who I consider as blogging friends, being invited to spend a day at M&S Head Office. What they got up to that day can be viewed on the Marks and Spencer website here. 

For the next stage of the campaign M&S have asked several bloggers, including me, to write about their own "Style Evolution". In doing so, we were asked to choose some pieces from the M&S collection, to include at least one dress from the current collection.

My Midlife Forties and Fashion Mum of 40 have already written their posts which I so enjoyed reading as, although we aren't dis-similar in age or stage in life, the outfits that we have chosen are very different - and of course reading about other people's milestones is always fascinating.

The knitted dress that I am wearing above is from Limited Collection. Now, for some reason, this dress isn't online. I can't quite work out whether that's because it has already sold out, or whether it's because the site hasn't quite caught up yet but what I can say is if you do come across one in store, it's worth giving it a try. Knitted dresses are going to be a huge trend for the upcoming season but more than that it's a) warm b) incredibly comfortable and c) not the slightest bit scratchy - all of which make it a total winner!

For my second dress I chose the Autograph geometric print dress (£39 down from £59). I love print and colour and this dress could be styled in so many different ways depending on the occasion. A blazer and heels would make it perfect for a meeting, or a pair of block heeled knee high boots would give it a 70's vibe. Also the olive and coral colours make a refreshing change to navy and black for work.

Wearing it with the Autograph open front cardigan with cashmere (£45) and a Marks and Spencer cross body bag gives the dress a different feel.

Autograph open front cardigan with cashmere (£45)

There was another outfit that I loved but I wasn't sure that I could pull it off, in the sense that it is very slim fitting and quite possibly a little unforgiving. I'm still going to give it a whirl next time I'm in town though - just in the safety of a changing room!

M&S Autograph funnel neck dress (£55)

Autograph open front line cardigan (£55)

As many of you will know, I turned 45 last month and I consider that to be a little bit of a milestone. Half way between 40 and 50. Hmmm. As to my Style Evolution? The older I get the more confident I get about my style choices. After all, what is there to lose? Women my age no longer have to wear pearls and a pleated skirt and there are plenty of women older than I am who are forging the way - still looking great, modern, fresh and as if they are having fun with their clothes. As long as I'm not treading on any teenage toes along the way or embarrassing my children (or not too much at least, that's what parents are for after all) then I'm happy. And I hope that you all are too.

Meet one of my favourite styles of dress - it's the perfect all rounder!

A shirt dress really is one of those dresses that's a good all rounder. There's a much wider range of clothes that can now go from the beach, to the bar, to the boardroom and this linen shirt dress from Whistles (available in store but not on line) is definitely one of those items . I first spotted it on a friend who was wearing it whilst out walking her dog. Along with her coral lippie and sunglasses it looked fab. When we next went for our run, I asked her where it was from - and then I mercilessly copied her.

I'm wearing my shirt dress in quite a dressed up way for me, at least, with Jigsaw heels plus some tassel earrings and a pom pom clutch, both from Accessorize.

I worked with this Fenn Wright Manson linen dress (down to £69 from £169) at an event that I did a few months ago now. I like it for its length and the fact that it has an under slip to prevent that whole see through business.

We styled the dress for a festival with lots of necklaces and bangles plus flat beaded sandals but it would work just as well with some heels and gold jewellery for a dressed up look.

Although this dress doesn't come with a belt, it has this lovely button detail at the back, which stops the dress from being too voluminous just by pulling it in a little.

Thinking ahead to the late summer/early autumn, Atterley  has this lovely luxury shirt dress in burgundy (£55). It also comes in navy and black so there's plenty of choice and it has that versatility of being able to layer something under it (maybe a striped top) or something over it (maybe a leather jacket).

The shape could be changed by belting the dress and then pulling the dress up over the belt to make it shorter and slightly more blouson on the top half. I also love that for those ladies with a curvier bust, the top few buttons of the dress can be undone to create more of a v-neck, which is so much more flattering. Later on, as the weather gets colder, it could be worn with tights and boots - so there are plenty of options.

Just a note about the Whistles dress, once ironed, it doesn't crease too much, unlike some linen clothes. As to size, it comes up huge. I'm wearing a size 6 but there wasn't that much difference between that and the 4, so if you do come across small ones in store, don't be put off by them.

Let me know your shirt dress views. I love them for their easy, throw on nature - they're a bit like the sticky toffee pudding at a dinner party - a bit safe but good enough for everyone to love.

My Zara sale star buy!

Sometimes the best buys that we make aren't expensive, or "big" or things that we've coveted for months but rather things that we spot out of the corner of our eye and which make our heart miss a beat. I know that this makes me sound very simple but for me it was this navy sparkly jumper in Zara, which was reduced from £25.99 to £7.99. I came across it yesterday - the last one in the store but I've just checked and it's still available online in both navy and khaki. It only comes in one size - a medium - which kinda makes things easier.  Some people collect jeans, or shoes or bags - well I collect navy sparkly jumpers and this is my new favourite.

Zara sequin jumper reduced from £25.99 to £7.99

Reasons why I like this jumper?

• Apart from the fact that it's navy and sparkly, it's short so it works really well with this Whistles midi length skirt, which up until now I've had a problem finding a top for;
• Ditto this will open up a whole host of options with other skirts and high waisted trousers;
• It has a decent weight to it so it will keep me warm.

What more do I need to say?!! Have you made any great sale buys. Come on, 'fess up!

ps If you look closely by the ankle strap of my left sandal, you can see my Sponge Bob Square Pants plaster. Such a classy bird!!

White jeans - a summer staple or a style nightmare?!

Having taken the outfit shots and having loaded up the photos, I'm now going to be incredibly unhelpful and tell you that the white jeans that I'm about to write about aren't actually available online. Sorry. However I do have a plan, which you can find out all about later in the post.

Yesterday I bought three pairs of Whistles jeans (I know, ouch) - one white, one navy and one black, all of which had between 60% and 70% off. At full price they would have been £285 (well they wouldn't because I wouldn't have paid that) but I ended up paying about £115 which isn't to be sneezed at but they will last me for many years.

So, back to white jeans in particular. Tricky little beggars aren't they? And here's why:

1. White acts as a highlighter not only drawing the eye to the area on which its worn but also adding pounds in the process. Perhaps not the best case scenario for one's thighs;
2. They can be see through;
3. This means that not only can you see pants and pockets BUT;
4. Others are able to witness any areas that may not be quite as smooth as they once were (oh all right then - cellulite);
5. Too tight and they can be a bit yuck and too loose they can wrinkle horribly around the knees - and as you can see above, wrinkles in white jeans really show.

I've tried a few pairs of white jeans this season - GAP skinny with rips, GAP girlfriend, Hush and the ones that I wanted to try, Baukjen, had sold out in my size by the time they went into the sale. However with two UK based holidays approaching, I just thought that some white jeans might lift my mood when the rain sets in!

I had nearly given up on white jeans when I came across these Whistles ankle length ones yesterday. They have plenty of stretch, they're thick and supportive, the rise isn't too low and so in the end I just threw caution to the wind and went for it. I know, living life on the edge again. 

So if you too are on the hunt for white jeans, it might be an idea to take a trip to a Whistles store. If there's not one near to you, customer services are usually really good at trying to track items down and they can be sent out to you.  For info purposes the ones that I am wearing are a 26". The good thing about Whistles jeans is that they come in some in between sizes too, so a 27 (size 9) and 29" (size 11) too which is handy to know in general.

So, white jeans, yes or no? Too impractical or a great option for a lighter summer jean without losing the warmth that the weather suggests we might need.  

One white Cos skirt worn two different ways...

Finding the right skirt for summer can be tricky but when I spied this one across the shop floor, it was love at first sight. Thick, white, cotton with a good length, pockets and a paper bag waist, I knew that this was the one for me.

Admittedly not all tops work with this skirt - they need to be the right length but that can be achieved either by tucking in, or tucking under, or just by getting one that sits on the waistband.

I don't think that I would look out of place at a jubilee party here - bring on the red, white and blue!

And here is the Cos tie waist skirt (£59)...

The other good thing about this skirt is that I can take big, proper, strides in it without it appearing too voluminous. I'm not good with skirts that restrict my movement. I take too big a stride, they pull me back, I fall over, the the skirt and I fall out and off to the charity shop it goes.

In this outfit I wore a cropped French Connection tencel shirt, M&S platform sandals and a pink Mulberry bag. Providing that I don't wreck it by chucking things down it - although it seems pretty hardy so it could probably take chemicals and a good scrub - it should serve me well over the next few months with breton t-shirts, vest tops, brighter bits and bobs or black for a monochrome look. I think that the thing now is just to wear it - lots.

I'm away for the next couple of days working with M&S so if I'm silent for a while, that's why - but I look forward to being back soon. In the meantime, have a lovely week all of you. x

An age old formula that works....and a couple of things for when the sun (finally) arrives...

 Whistles Jacket, jeans and scarf, Jigaw bag, Zara boots

You may think from this photo that I'm lacking in inspiration in what to wear, which isn't the case at all. I have lots of ideas of things that I want to show you but yesterday it was just soooooo cold that I had to resort to the age old formula of jeans, boots, a jacket and a scarf. I even put the heating on when I returned from town mid-morning but when Mr SG came back at lunchtime to work from home for the afternoon I was busted and off it went.  Mind you, things are looking up for Thursday and Friday so ladies, slap that fake tan on.

In the meantime here are a couple of things that I spied whilst out and about yesterday which will be great for when the sun finally arrives...

Topshop Slides (£40) - you can forget your Birkenstocks, furry or otherwise, and your lace up ballet pumps, these are where it's at right now. I had my first pair of these from my local Freeman Hardy and Willis (showing my age or what?!) and they were a size 13. They were a denim print and I loved them. I have a pink pair of Scholl ones in my wardrobe which I think may well make a re-appearance sometime soon.

You can't beat a good beach dress and this one from Topshop (£35) caught my eye as I passed it yesterday. There was a lovely Michael Kors one in the window of the MK shop but I couldn't bring myself to spend much on something that was only going to end up with sun-tan cream, ice-cream and all manner of splodgy stuff all over it.

This Accessorize beaded chevron clutch bag (£25) on the other hand? Well let's just say it might be wrapped up in tissue paper in a wardrobe not too far from here....

And talking about things in cupboards. I found this in our kitchen cupboard the other day. I should be embarrassed but I'm not - well, only for the fact that we even owned a tin of evaporated milk in the first place. Why would you do that? Condensed milk yes, I get that. That's what's needed for chocolate caramel shortbread but evaporated milk? I have no idea. However thinking about it I was pregnant at the time. Maybe that had something to do with it.

So what do you have lurking at the back of your cupboards - anything of the evaporated milk/scholl shoe variety, or perhaps a new little number for a sunny day? Go on, share them with me!

How to style wide legged trousers - and what to do if all else fails....

Whistles jeans and Topshop shoes (current), Topshop jumper and Orla Kiely bag (not so much)

So, let's talk about wide legged trousers. As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman "slippery little suckers." OK so she was talking about snails but the concept is the same - both can be tricky to deal with.

So how to deal with the fact that wide legged trousers do what they say on the tin - namely make us look wider, and quite often shorter too? The shoes can be problematic, unless the trousers are really long, in which case heels solve a whole host of leg shortening problems.

If like this pair of jeans from Whistles (which are now apparently back in stock) they don't require a heel, then a flat with a pointed toe helps to create a nicer silhouette. I still haven't worked out why that is but it works, trust me.

Secondly, a top works better if it's fairly short and fairly fitted. The best ones are generally listed under the term "cropped" on various sites such as Topshop, M&S Limited, ASOS etc but don't be put off by that, not all of them will be designed to flash one's midriff. Failing that, tuck a top in and pull it out a little, or tuck a shirt under and knot it at the front, or even tie a vest or t-shirt at the back. All of those options will give the silhouette that you need.

Thirdly, carry a huge bag, just like this Orla Kiely one. The effect will be twofold - it's something to hide behind and its scale makes you look smaller.

Fourthly, if all else fails, chop the bottom of the trousers off and turn them into something like these Karen Millen culottes which a friend of mine has and which look amazing. Seriously though, that way you can still get a little lower leg on display which helps with the silhouette, it means that you can wear heels too and it's a good use of a piece of clothing that could otherwise sit at the back of the wardrobe. Job done!

Oh dear, now I've convinced myself that I need these too. Perhaps I need to phone a friend.

You shall go to the ball....

It's a long time since I've been to a school ball but last night was the night - and a fantastic night it was too. Normally it's Mr SG donning his tux for a black tie event (for work purposes of course, you understand) but for once I wasn't the babysitter and instead we got to go out together.

I really hadn't given any thought to what I was going to wear and it can be at times like that when a dress just happens to find you. I was in Coast a couple of weeks ago looking at outfits for an event that I'm styling on Wednesday and on my way out I saw this Coast Frankie Jacquard dress (£145).

In the flash of an eye I had tried it on, bagged it and I was on my way.  I think that it was the print that attracted me initially and I liked the overlay at the top too but had the length not been right, it would have gone straight back on the rack.

I have no idea why I went with the Aldo  spot shoe (£60) - other than because I liked them and because they were a slightly less obvious choice than silver or nude.

This is a back shot of the dress taken from the Coast site which I think may just well have a 20% discount on at the moment.

For information purposes, the dress comes up true to size. I'm wearing an 8 and whilst I could have got away with the 6 I wouldn't have been quite so comfortable around the waist. So comfort won out in the end!

And I got myself a new pal on the night. Just look at the sword on him!!!

Diamonds in the (white) soles of her shoes...

Outfit: Jigsaw boyfriend jeans and Next mono point shoe, both current (although I can't find a link to the Next shoes right now), Mango jacket, LK Bennett bag, Whistles jumper (not so current)! 

I can't promise you diamonds in the soles of your shoes but I can promise you white soled shoes.

Each season there are the main trends and then there are the sub-trends and within those trends, the micro-trends. This season white soled shoes are everywhere. I've not read anything about them - not that I can recall anyway - so in that sense they're not a main trend but in the same way that a few seasons ago all dresses suddenly seemed to have exposed zips, many styles of shoes also come with white soles. I love them for their fresh, modern look.

If they haven't already, no doubt white soled shoes will now jump out at you wherever you are but for now, here are just a few examples of what's around at the moment...

Brogues

I love a good brogue and the addition of a white sole has given them the update that they needed. Whistles has the Fayley shoe (£150) and there is a similar style at Dune (£69) which are peppered with holes - lovely and spring like!

Loafers

Clarks has the Griffin Milly (£45) which comes in a few different colour ways. There are similar at Dune which come in a lovely shade of yellow. Again, a loafer is a very classic style and the white sole makes all the difference, making them fresher and lighter.

Skater trainers

Clarks have this Coll Beach shoe in pale yellow (£55). I tried them on earlier today (see below) and whilst they came up quite wide on me, they have the potential to be very comfortable. A real "go to" spring shoe if you're more of a casual, laid back, trouser kind of girl.

Sandals

There's the Draedia from Aldo (£50), which I have and which I'm quite fond of but sadly the weather hasn't facilitated in the wearing of these. The style has been around for ages but more in a "buy them from a rack hanging on the beach front" type of way, rather than a silver, sparkly type of way. The great thing about Aldo is that they do a 4.5 and 5.5, which is handy.

Another example is the Dina sandal from Miss KG (£55) - again more white soles but this time mixed with a lovely bright pink.

Slides

Kurt Geiger has the Krypton style (£110) and I've seen others in Dune, Primark and Carvela.

So, there we go. Not a terribly obvious trend but something that seems to have slowly crept up on us. It's something that's very accessible to us all and a quick wardrobe update, plus a whole load of sensible looking shoes have suddenly started to look a whole lot more attractive and that's never a bad thing.