Style Guile Sale Part 2!

It's been a while since I've said "hello" so I thought that it was about time that I made a brief (and somewhat slightly scruffy) appearance.

I may have a sewn monkey hanging behind my head (that's the browny thing in the background) but at least I've swept up, changed the door mat and planted up the pots so I feel a little more organised....sort of.

Thank you to all of you who emailed me about my blog sale for Coram. Almost everything has been sold now but the good news is that I've just uploaded some more pieces, which you can find on my "Style Guile Sale" page above. Thank you so much. I promise that your money is going to a wonderful cause and you get a lovely new item for your wardrobe too so it's a win win!

Outfit: Gap boyfriend jeans, Zara denim shirt, Jigsaw boots

My answer to everything: wear a blouse with a bow. It just makes you feel glam even when nothing could be further from the truth. Life looking out from the pink front door is great.

Looking in however - it's a big old mess. But look at our lovely loo. Great colour huh?!

Today I was stalked by....Bardot tops

One of the best things about my job is having the legitimate excuse of spending a few hours every so often walking around the shops to see what's out there.  Whizzing from one store to the next in quick succession is a great way of spotting the trends. And today I felt that I was being stalked by blue Bardot tops. Shop after shop had them on their rails. Take a look to see what I mean....

The Bardot striped top from Whistles (£85), which also comes in white.

Zara blue and white off the shoulder striped top (£29.99) 

GAP tencel off the shoulder top (£34.95)

H&M blue off the shoulder blouse - £7.99. This one is 100% cotton and it's from the H&M conscious range.

So is anyone tempted to jump on the Bardot bandwagon, or are you more likely to give them a miss, knowing that the rest of the world could, quite possibly, be wearing them too?!!

Jumper Dresses - Why don't we go there?

M&S jumper dress, Reiss leather jacket, Zara sleeveless coat, Whistles gloves and boots, Marc Jacobs bag

From the various emails that I've had, I know that lots of you are toying with the idea of a jumper dress but aren't sure whether to take the plunge or not.  It may be slightly late for this winter but fear not they will be around next year, so I thought that I would share my thoughts.

Being a creature who feels the cold, unsurprisingly I really like jumper dresses. Warm and comfortable, they tick my boxes.  So what are the pitfalls and how do you go about styling them?

Firstly, I think that people are put off jumper dresses by the thought of having to wash them each time they're worn and wondering how they will fare on a long term basis. The solution? Lightweight layers underneath mean that the dress won't be next to your skin, so it won't need to be washed each time that it's worn (or ever, potentially!)

Secondly, not all styles are particularly forgiving, especially the fitted/ribbed styles, so make sure that you check from all angles before buying one. I like wearing mine layered with this sleeveless coat as it just gives me a little tum coverage. And in all likelihood when I get home I would take the dress off anyway, so preferring it styled in this way really isn't an issue.

Thirdly they can make you feel a bit "square" and bulky. I know, I'm really not selling them! It's more with the one that I'm wearing above than the navy Jigsaw one that I have (below) so again, the sleeveless coat, or a jacket, breaks the body up leaving just a narrow column on show, which is a great styling trick for narrowing a wider torso.

Jigsaw jumper dress, Karen Millen leggings, Adidas trainers, Whistles bag and gloves

This navy jumper dress from Jigsaw however is much easier to wear. Due to the fact that it is a looser fit and that it's darker, it is easier to throw on and go, rather than having to work a little harder at styling it.  The fact that it's shorter too means that coat lengths aren't so much of an issue.

But when it's a cold day as it was on Monday, only the grey ribbed one will do. It's probably the nearest thing that I have to a onesie in terms of warmth and comfort, so you can count me in big style. It was only through working with M&S on a blog post that I decided to try one in the first place but I'm so glad that I did.

What's your experience of jumper dresses - yes or no to the jumper dress? And if you haven't been there before, are you tempted? Hope that you're all having a lovely week. x

That was the week that was - a little bit of house, a little bit of fashion and a competition coming your way soon!

Going for a bit of a biker look in this Reiss jacket that I've had for about 6 years but which fits so well, an H&M skirt, Boden roll neck and Whistles gloves and biker boots. 

Hello my lovelies, how are you all? I hope that you've had a lovely Mother's Day. I know that for some it can be a little bit of a sad and emotional day so I'm thinking of you all and sending you lots of love. I started off my day by running with a friend (lovely) dropping in on another friend (lovely - for me at least!) and then coming home to....dye the grey out of my hair. Ho hum! 

The rest of the day was fabulous though with lunch out, a wander around John Lewis, a home made chocolate cake with chunks of toblerone in it and crushed maltesers on top (yum) and some lovely pressies. My treat to myself is to check in with you all to say hello and to give you a little update - for there's a lot going on! 

Just prior to the work starting

As you may have gathered, we are having some work done to the house. It's a 14 week build project which was due to start last Monday, however we weren't really sure until three days beforehand whether it would start or not.  So, at the 11th hour we had to arrange for the downstairs of the house to be cleared and the furniture sent to storage. Last weekend was fun.

 Getting ready for the builders - I knew that the gin would come in handy.

The night before the work was due to start, we had fireworks to mark the occasion and to say goodbye to the house as we knew it. 

It didn't take long for the builders to get cracking.

Monday morning carnage.

Despite being a family of five, our house is "usually" fairly relaxed and calm but last Monday morning I had about 12 men in the house; the builders started ripping down the conservatory, there were skips arriving, the electrician was making the house safe, the plumber was moving and re-plumbing the washing machine, the alarm chap was dis-connecting certain sensors, the carpenter was building false walls and me? I stood paralysed behind the kitchen island, took a couple of photos and ate a WHOLE LOAD of chocolate. As for Mr SG?

He went to work leaving his sour dough to rise amongst the chaos. As you do. 

No more conservatory! It leaked and there's nothing that Mr SG hates more than a leak. They drive him round the bend.

Two days later, the conservatory was down. It's fair to say that the house is looking a pretty ugly place right now but hopefully in three weeks or so the new build will be up with the roof on and then it should start to look a whole look better. In the meantime I'm frantically making mood boards for the new utility room, study area, dining area and living area. For so long it didn't really seem that anything was happening and then all of a sudden we're meant to have chosen everything. Help! And sadly now that the living room is empty it's clear that the carpet is in need of an update so that room might just need a bit of attention. Such a shame.

Whilst in John Lewis today I seemed to lose a couple of the children.

Jigsaw trousers, Topshop jumper, Zara cardi, Accessorize scarf, Whistles boots.

This photo was taken at the end of the week - I'm just about still standing (unlike the conservatory). But with working, trying to sort the house, training for the marathon (we're up to 24 miles now so quite happy about that) and so on I'm not getting the time to blog as often as I would like. And I miss you all!

However I've got some great posts lined up - an exclusive competition with M&S to win a gift card of £100 for you and a friend, a new jewellery brand to introduce you to and an inspiring story from a reader who used her FitBit to help her to lose 3 stones.

Have a lovely week everyone and I hope to be back soon. x 

This season's favourite skirt for any time, anywhere - and a Radio Programme which may be of interest

I know that I wrote about this H&M wrap skirt not that long ago, so apologies for that, but it really is a fail safe that goes with everything (a little like the skirt version of jeans really) so I thought that it was worth mentioning again.

I love coming across something that I wasn't necessarily looking for but which I fall in love with and which I then wear non-stop. It's a bit like when you've been in to Home Bargains. You come out with all sorts of things that you just hadn't appreciated you couldn't live without. Non-slip hangers, coconut oil and a new laundry bin anyone?

In the above outfit I stuck the skirt with all manner of things that came to hand - tartan, denim, a big cardi and pony skin shoes - but I did have the excuse that it was the first school run that I had to do in weeks so I was all over the place.

I'm slightly more restrained in this outfit with a Zara jumper and Topshop leopard print shoes. This jumper is another firm favourite from this winter but you see those sleeves? They've been caught up in more Deliciously Ella/Madeleine Shaw/Joe Wicks recipes that you can shake a stick at.

For anyone who is interested, this week's Radio 4 Food Programme is called "Eat to Run" and it's really worth listening to if you like that type of thing. A listener was interested to know how important diet was to running performance so she wrote in to ask - and the programme talks you through it. Here's a link (which fingers crossed will work) if not, it's available on the iPlayer. Hope that you enjoy it!

Pleated skirts - another one to ponder and how to style them....

Recently, pleated skirts have become a firm favourite. Many are midi length and in this mild weather they lend themselves to being worn without anything underneath (or hidden leggings if you want to add just a little warmth) and they can go from being worn with trainers as I'm doing above, to being worn with a fitted jumper and high pointy shoes for a really glam 1940's style look. They come in lots of different finishes, from pleather to lurex and silky fabrics too, so they offer a huge amount of versatility.

I came across this pleated skirt in Topshop (£50) yesterday and whilst I've had to link to the petite one, they come in standard lengths too. This is a really beautiful pale blue colour which works really well with grey or camel.

This Zara lace pleated skirt would make a great alternative to a more traditional going out outfit...

For some ideas on how to style them, Pinterest has once again come up with the goods.

So first of all we've got the whole cool leather jacket/diaphanous fabric juxta-position going on, with the elegant heels. Nice, very nice!

Then we have the metallic skirt/metallic shoe combination which is quite futuristic...

And finally the head to toe black which plays with texture to create some interest. 

We have a Spring wedding to go to so I'm sort of thinking that a pleated skirt would work well. With it being in early April the weather has the potential to be a) as it should be for the time of year b) snowing c) 20 degree plus - so I could have a variety of tops on standby. A bit of fake tan and some heels and that could all work quite well, plus I can wear it in the summer too. But it's early days yet...

I hope that 2016 is off to a cracking start and many thanks to all who have left feedback on the new style blog posts. I will respond to you all shortly and thank you for your ideas for future posts!

Five outfit ideas for New Year's Eve...sparkles, pleather, lace, bright trousers and spotty shoes, though maybe not all together

With New Year's Eve only around the corner, I thought that I would post some outfit ideas for "the big night".  These outfits are all made up of things that I already have in my wardrobe. Bits and bobs could be mixed around - shoes swapped with other shoes, tops swapped with other tops - you get the idea. I'm hoping that this post may provide a light bulb moment - for me too!  If there's anything that you like the look of, have a think and see if there's anything that you have in your wardrobe that you could use to create something similar.

The 1970's shoes and midi skirt

I liked the idea of wearing these M&S 1970's inspired shoes in the winter but I haven't got around to it yet. However a party, or something based largely indoors, would be the perfect opportunity to give them a whirl. Because they are quite chunky they can hold their own against the heavier pleather fabric of the pleated skirt. For me the skirt needs to be midi length to avoid the whole "mutton" look. I chose the top because I really like the sleeve shape but plenty of other top options would work with this skirt.

The PJ top

Wearing PJs for evening wear has been a huge trend for a while now. Whilst my trousers aren't PJs they are probably the nearest thing in terms of comfort - satin joggers from Topshop. The top is a PJ top though. It's by Rosie at Autograph and I really like it irrespective of whether it's a PJ top or not - and it's probably the comfiest evening out outfit going. The spotty shoes are from Aldo. I love their shoes for their reasonable prices and half sizes.

The fun shoes and sparkly skirt

I bought these shoes this year and they always make me laugh as they definitely verge on the slightly ridiculous. The skirt is a Whistles one that I bought in the sale last year and didn't ever wear. There's a closer shot of its sparkle and "fluffiness" below. The silver ribbed top from Primark doesn't come through very well in the photos. A strappy silky top would work well with this outfit - just not on me! As would sparkly trainers - if I could find any in my size :( I love a big floral midi length skirt too for an evening out. If it's chilly, wear it with a short chunky jumper for a modern take on evening wear.

Full on sparkle and ripped jeans

I've been photo bombed! Sometimes all you need is jeans, a pair of heels and a sparkly top, especially for a trip to the pub. The jeans could be swapped for cigarette pants to make the outfit that bit smarter for a restaurant trip/house party where you're not quite sure of the dress code.

The top is H&M, the jeans are Zara and the shoes Dune. 

The bright trousers

For this look you could go with brocade trousers, or sequin trousers, instead of coloured trousers.  A black silk shirt would work well with a louder bottom half, or the lace black top from the first outfit would work with these too, or again, a strappy silk top. Whatever its style, I prefer a plainer top when wearing "shouty" bottoms. I like how the addition of a pair of heels can make an outfit party worthy - so if you're not a fan of full on sparkle/evening wear, they are a good investment to give a bit of a life to an otherwise plain outfit.

You will note the absence of any dresses. I think that it's because I don't have any midi length dresses and a shorter one would need tights and they then present shoe difficulties and anyway the 16 year old needed a lift as she was going out for the night because she has a better social life than I do and now I'm just a taxi driver.....(but I do love being a taxi driver really).

Thank you to everyone for your kind words following yesterday's post. I really appreciate you all taking time out of your busy lives to drop me a line and offer your words of wisdom.  Beth x

Christmas fun in the sun but it's GREAT to be back!

Top: J Crew/ Shorts: Home made Topshop cut offs/ Sandals: Aldo/ Sunglasses: Jigsaw

Call me a bit of a bah humbug, but, pleased as I am for people when they're on holiday and I'm at home in the rain, there's a part of me that finds it mildly annoying. So I will try very hard not to be one of those annoying people!

I did try to post this when we were away but the wi-fi wasn't having any of it, so this is really a bit of a catch up post. Other than the odd shorts pic, I've tried to keep it relevant to what you might be thinking of wearing in the UK or perhaps buying in the sales. The evenings were slightly colder when we were away, so it gave me a chance to wear pieces which, with a tweak, could be worn at home.

It was great to wear my Topshop denim jumpsuit again. It has become a firm favourite for travelling in as it's so comfortable. If I'm too hot I just take the top down (yes I do wear a vest underneath!) tie the arms around my waist and I'm good to go. Really I could wear it at home but I quite like to keep a few things just for the warmer weather as it's always so nice to re-visit them when the season changes.

This outfit is made up of a pair of Boden sequin joggers (limited sizes available), which I recently bought plus a Zara jumper, and Banana Republic shoes, all of which were sale purchases. The Accessorize bag was a present from a friend for my birthday. Stick me in top toe navy with a bit of sparkle and all of it being comfortable and I'm as happy as Larry. And given that our holiday was all inclusive, the elasticated waistband (oooooh, sexy) didn't go a miss either! If I swapped my shoes for a pair of silver heels, this outfit could work equally well on New Year's Eve.

Here's another warm weather favourite - a Hush dress. It's probably not quite warm enough to wear this at home right now but I did wear it at the back end of the summer with pale grey suede Jigsaw ankle boots and a little knitted jacket, which put a nice spin on it.

This playsuit outfit is obviously one that is too chilly to wear just now but I've included it because I bought it in the Baukjen sale just after Christmas last year. Again, being all in one, it's one of those uber comfortable pieces which I can wear in the day, or dressed up a little for the evening.

And here's an outfit that no-one would ever want to be seen in - summer or winter, day or night, rain or shine. But when you're up a volcano and it's chilly, you just have to stick on whatever is to hand - and if that includes you son's (clean) socks with your sandals, so be it.

And moving on to a vaguely - OK so totally - ridiculous outfit. Here's another gem!  

 It was fantastic to be away but it's amazing to be home too, catching up with friends, getting back to my running and we had our own Christmas Day number two this afternoon which was fab.

I hope that you have all had a wonderful time and that you have plenty more exciting things lined up between now and the New Year. It's good to be back with you all. Beth x

Sparkles, more sparkles and a touch of pleather...

A lady I was once working with told me how I was the shop window for my business. Well let me tell you - this particular shop window has been driven into by joy riders, smashed and grabbed to within an inch of its life and ransacked all at the same time. I caught a sight of myself in the mirror today and it was far from good. I've picked up a stinking cough and cold and it shows.

But all is not lost, for the crack team of Ange the beautician and Luke the hairdresser will come to my rescue later in the week. Ange will sort out my eyebrows, do my nails and spray me a different colour - because on Saturday we are going away for some sun. And if I ask her nicely, she might remove my grey moustache too. Or should I just leave it there? I think that it might look quite good with a bikini.

We were out at friends on Saturday night. I wore my sequin turtleneck H&M top (£29.99) for the first time and it was fab. It's lined which stops it from being itchy, whilst at the same time making it warm, so it was a double win for me. Comfortable glamour - that's what its all about. Whoever said it was the hokey cokey was wrong.

I put a little video on instagram of me wearing the top, which you can see here. I'm wearing it with some semi busted Zara jeans and sparkly Dune shoes - as if there wasn't enough sparkle already.

And whilst we're about it, I thought that I would share another H&M purchase, being this "leather inspired" (OK, plastic) skirt which cost £19.99. I'd been on the semi look out for a pleather skirt for a while and then this one caught my eye last week. It was the asymmetric hem that got me. It comes up quite small so I have a size 10 and again, there's a little instagram video here where I'm wearing it.

I must like the skirt because I've worn it twice already. I have to say, it did catch me out though. When I sit on our kitchen stools I think that I perch on them on one bum cheek and then whizz across them to get on them fully. Let's just say that there wasn't so much whizzing with this little number on. More of an attempted whizz with a sudden stop as the pleather stuck to the seat. Not a good look.

Now usually by now I've started my "12 outfits of Christmas" feature but with us going away I haven't quite got that far this year. I wonder whether I might just irritate people showing pictures of sunny climes. Although knowing our luck with the weather it will chuck it down with rain and I'll just spend the whole week wearing the same one jumper and one pair of jeans. It's been done before.

What to wear when going to choose a Christmas tree...

Remember the Zara cardigan (similar here) that I featured on my You Tube vlog right at the start of the "winter"? Well it has definitely secured itself in my affections, together with these Boden Harper boots which seem to be glued to my feet right now. The price of these boots varies by colour and the black ones are £59.50 which is a pretty good price for a pair of boots that are so versatile.

Yesterday we went to buy our Christmas tree (I have deja vu each time I write this - I must have been blogging for far too many years now!) and as it was very windy I popped on my Topshop bobble hat which was a present from my Mum last year. I figure that you can never go wrong with a bit of denim and so this Whistles denim dress came along for the ride too.

I'm glad to report that the tree is now up and stylishly (!) decorated with all manner of things that we've collected over the years. From kitsch and slightly camp, to delicate and fairy tale like and from sequins to felt - all with a bit of tinsel mixed in, it's what one might call an eclectic mix - and not one that you would find in any interiors magazine.

Kicking an outfit into touch with one of these...

For me, apart from a pair of shoes, there's nothing that can give an outfit a kick up the bum in quite the same way a a lovely shirt or blouse. It can take a pair of plain black work trousers into something which is quite kick-ass (sorry for all the derriere references tonight.) With a pair of ripped jeans and heels, a black metallic blouse can make the perfect outfit for a night out - and who doesn't love a bit of Victoriana?

So this is my run down of some gorgeous blouses that I've seen out and about on my travels recently....

Mint Velvet tie neck blouse (£69) - this is perfect with a pencil style skirt for work or with fitted trousers for a dressier look. Blouses are really great tops for curvier figures as they tend to skim without clinging, unlike jersey tops which can show every little trace of muffin consumption and muffin top.  The lighter  weight fabrics are brilliant as they don't add bulk, plus the ones with pussy bows have a v-neck line, which is so flattering on a larger bust. With a print to keep the eye on the move, they are absolute winners.

For those of you with curvier busts, you will know the problem with shirts and blouses and buttons that  pull. This Somerset blouse by Alice Temperley at John Lewis (£79) though is fantastic because....it doesn't have any buttons. Perfect! There is plenty of stock in store although not in this colour on line. It also comes in a lovely sage colour too which makes a nice change.

There are a lot of metallic shirts around this season. They can be scratchy so it's worth having a good feel of them on the inside if you don't have time to try them on as no-one likes to feel as though they are wearing a brillo pad. Marks and Spencer has this metallic effect textured blouse (£45). There's also one at Reiss (£145).

For something a little bit pretty and Victoriana, Limited Edition has this lovely lace trim blouse (£29.50). Zara also has a good selection too.

I was working with this M&S  Autograph satin blouse (£35) last week. Again it's really good because it doesn't have any buttons and it's silky fabric elevates it to being a little bit more special, despite its simple design.

Marks and Spencer also has this Autograph animal print blouse (£35) which again has a flattering shape, fit and fabric. It's the type of blouse that could be worn all year round and with leopard print being one of those prints that never disappears, for years to come as well.

Ah, now the Whistles lace shirt (£145) ticks many boxes. The colour is vibrant and great on many skin tones. The fact that it is lace makes it that little bit special and with a shorter length it will sit perfectly with a skirt - just like the one in the above photograph. In fact as time goes by, I veer further away from a "party" type dress, which just sits in the wardrobe until it needs to be squidged on for a night out - and more towards stylish separates which can be worn for many different events.

For sequins, I love this Zara sequinned blouse (£25.99). I would look an utter plonky head in it but I do really like it nonetheless. Particularly on other people.