Mum on the Run - Another Cos creation

Content wise, I have given Style Guile a bit of a face lift (to be honest I wouldn't mind having one myself but that costs money and it's a dangerous road to go down.) All this has come about as a result of some very constructive feedback on Mumsnet - so thank you ladies for your input.  

I have an action plan, a mission statement, aims and objectives - all of which I have written on the back of a serviette which I have now lost.  So, in essence, I will be including more images, closer images, less text, better photography (need an evening or two to get to grips with that one) and, by popular demand, some curvier ladies too.  So far you can see that I am failing on the less text front.  I also have a bit of a problem with close up shots - it's the crows feet you know, they're not pretty.

You may well ask what the hec I am wearing today.  Not really one for tunics and leggings, this is a Cos creation with jeans - I would imagine that the draped fabric would be very handy for carrying a newborn baby. 

What I liked about it when I saw it was that I had absolutely no idea what it would look like when on - or indeed how to get it on - and because of that I figured that it was my duty to give it a whirl. Once I had finally managed to work out which way up it went,  I was pleasantly suprised - it is a little different and hugely comfortable. I have done the "stand in front of the mirror sideways and breathe out" test and it's impossible to detect a tummy under there.

It would work equally well on curvier ladies because, although there's lots of draping, the neckline is low, which is more flattering on a fuller bust, (you could put a cami underneath instead of a high necked top) and it isn't tent like in it's design. So whilst it disguises, it doesn't add volume.

Today we went to John Lewis and bought some new shoes.  At last, Clarks have some traditional styles of sandals for children.  These are so cute - they won't go with a thing in our youngest's wardrobe but if you can't clash your colours and mix your prints at four, when can you? 

Now, for the next photo, you can see that I was experimenting with different photos by playing with the filters on Instagram.  This morning the youngest and I made our Easter tree. This bunch of twigs serves several purposes throughout the year, from being a shoe tree at Christmas (see below) to a jewellery tree at the four year old's party.

The first time I made an Easter tree was with our eldest when she too was four. I was very proud of our creation, complete with foil covered chocolate eggs, around which I had tied cotton to hang them from the tree. I placed it in the front window, only to come home and find a mass of mishapen melted chocolate eggs hanging from our beautiful tree as the sun had appeared after we left for our trip out. 

Christmas shoe tree.....

Anyway, for my last pic I thought that I would show you a necklace which I saw in Hobbs today. It's part of a pretty range and it celebrates a traditional British afternoon tea. Based on an original illustration, it features sandwiches, chocolate eclairs and a bakewell tart.


Sorry for the less than clear image (not my fault) - this was the best I could get from the Hobbs site. Don't forget that there is a 20% discount with Woman & Home magazine this month, which will significantly reduce the £49 price tag.  T's and C's apply.

What is she wearing today: Gap jeans, Topshop shoes, Cos creation, Mango scarf, Cos long sleeve top

Mum on the Run - A Miss Selfridge necklace, a feature in Woman & Home and a second photo of my lovely curvy friend.

Today I have decided to do a sort of a "tapas" style blog, a bit of a smorgasbord if you like, partly because I have a few things to show you and partly because tonight I am lost for words! No particular reason other than it has been a busy day with all three of the children at home. It has involved tears and tantrums (mine) the eldest making things out of plaster of Paris and glue (a huge mess), various other activities of a crafty nature - not a strength in our household - and lots and lots of washing, to include a mobile telephone in a pair of salopettes - oops.

So, photo 1 is me wearing my Guernsey which I have tarted up a bit with a pink and "diamond" necklace from Miss Selfridge.  Worn with skinny jeans and navy slingbacks, rather than converse, it gives it a different look.

Photo 2 is a photo of the feature in which I appear in Woman & Home magazine this month - due to be released any day now it has Fern Britton on the front. Cop those jeans!

Apologies for the distant shot of Liz, who I introduced you to yesterday.  This was the second outfit she wore for the style event that I did a while ago and it comprised palazzo pants from Wallis, a Boden leather jacket, which I love, and a Debenhams bag.  This was her "intermediate" look - not too casual, not too smart - but a bit distant! As ever, the audience loved her.

Right, I'm off to scrub some plaster of Paris off the worksurface - boy I know how to live!

Sunday Best - featuring a real lady with curves!

On today's Sunday Best, I am featuring Liz, a lovely lady who often models for me at style events.  She is very modest, always slightly self conscious but incredibly well received by the audience who love to see ladies with curves.

This was the first of the outfits that Liz wore on the evening. The cropped trousers are great for her as she has such lovely slim ankles.  Teamed with a printed wrap top which flattered her bust and emphasised her waist, the elbow length sleeves made her feel comfortable and the print did a great job of keeping the eye on the move.  Both items were from Preen at Debenhams, a fantastic range which goes up to a size 18.  The top was £45 and the trousers were £38. In my view Liz does a much better job of modelling the top than the lady below - some items are just designed to have curves in them!

 

We put it with some yellow Guess wedges, also from Debenhams at £50,  which Liz assured me were very comfortable .......

...and a grey bag with yellow trim from Oasis, which was £40.  I wanted to tap into the yellow trend with accessories and these two items did that job really well. We also layered a cami under the top for modesty purposes.

I have been in discussion with some mumsnetters who would love to see more blogs from ladies sized 14/16 so, if you are one such lady, or if you would like to feature on Style Guile, please just drop me a line at style@bethgoodrham.com There are ladies out there waiting to see what you are wearing! 

Mum on the Run - on the beach

Firstly, thanks to you who have dropped me a line about Guernseys.  I love that you have fond memories of seeing your parents and grandparents wearing them.

What a beautiful day it was yesterday in Guernsey.  My sister plus myself and the two girls sat on the beach for the whole afternoon, having first visited town to buy a UV suit for the youngest and shorts for the eldest. Hard to believe how cold it is today, now we are home!

Remember I said that I had planned and packed three outfits for our trip - ice cream, nautical and layering? Well that went out of the window on the first day! I went for the "ice cream" look on day one ie, white shirt, pale pink jumper and jeans - but within a couple of hours was in possession of my new striped Guernsey so had ticked the nautical box too.  This left the layered look for yesterday but I concluded that the top I was going to wear was too nice for the beach so had to cobble something else together - and this was it.

Having only two pairs of jeans with me, I went for the kermit ones and then layered two shirts, one over the other and added a pink scarf from Mango.  From a practical perspective it was great - the right temperature, cotton next to my skin, the white lifted the denim shirt and the scarf added some colour. It wouldn't win any style awards but what I liked was that I was forced to try a different combination, namely layering two shirts (probably something which lot of you do all the time but something which I haven't really done up until now) - and trying something different is always a good thing.

I was grinning like an idiot as my sister was pulling a face at me.

This is part of the sandcastle that our youngest spent at least two hours making - collecting the shells etc and note the colour of the bucket and spade!

Today's outfit: White shirt Gap, denim shirt Next, green jeans River Island, scarf Mango, Converse, Cath Kidston bag. The M&S towels we were sitting on belonged to my Dad and are easily 30 years old!

Mum on the Run - Guernsey Jumpers

A while ago I wrote a post about Guernsey jumpers.  Guernseys have been around for centuries.  Traditionally they were heavy woollen jumpers, hand knitted by Channel Islanders.  Often navy blue, with distinctive stitch patterns designed to mirror a sailing ship's rope ladder, a panel depicting waves breaking on the beach and stitching representing pebbles, stones and sand.  Apparently Admiral Lord Nelson recommended their use as part of the naval uniform and in more recent times they were worn by local fishermen.  However since the decline of the local fishing industry, and the rise of synthetic fabrics to keep us warm, Guernsey woollens, the only company in the world making these amazing jumpers, has had to find a new market - which they seem to be doing with great success.  More about that later.

I was lucky enough to be given a voucher for a Guernsey as a present by my Dad, so whilst on the Island, I went along to choose my Guernsey, and to see where they are made - and this is that place! No bigger than a large garage, here they make 8,000 Guernsey's a year.

These are some of the newer designs of Guernseys - ecru with navy stripes.  They weren't quite yet complete when I was there.  Still in pieces, they were then to be sewn together, part by hand and part by machine by.....

these two lovely ladies who are incredibly skilled at what they do.

As to the way in which the company has adapted to reflect the change in the market place, they are now supplied to Sea Salt, Fred Perry and Pedlars.  Alexa Chung is pictured here wearing an ecru Guernsey with navy "tips".  Cardigans are now also available and the jumpers can be made in cotton, as well as wool with a different neckline to the traditional one.

The jumper that I am wearing above is the only one in the world!  A sample made for the Japanese market because the company were experimenting with a different design, it is slightly more boxy in design that the traditional ones.  It is made of cotton and, surprise surprise, is striped! I knew that it had my name on it from the minute I saw it. However I must say that I also fancy the striped one above, which is in the traditional style.

In addition to the fact that these are beautifully made jumpers with a great history - something really special in a world of disposable fashion - the most amazing thing about the company is the fantastic service that they offer.  If, for example, you were a size 10, Guernsey woollens would send out a size 10 jumper to try which you would then send back, together with your amended measurements.  Whether it's a couple of inches off the arms, an inch or so on the length, or a change to the chest measurements, they will make a bespoke one for you.  Saville Row service from the Guernsey's Island home.

You can find out more by calling Arthur Eldridge on 01481 258183 or taking a look at www.guernseywoollens.com  - but I would ring Arthur if I were you. I am hoping that there might be enough of us out there to get some pink striped ones made!

Mum on the Run - Packing for a few days away

All went well yesterday for our journey to Guernsey.  The only time I was fearful was as we approached security and I realised that I had absolutely no idea at all what the 4 year old had packed in her trunki.  It could have been full of scissors and kitchen knives for all I knew.  When questioned (by me) she denied possessing any guns or knives but confessed to having drugs in there (together, it transpired with a tea set and a cross from her Easter service at school.)

With only a 15kg  baggage allowance between the three of us we had to pack light.  With that in mind I planned my outfits in advance taking into account that we were likely to be doing the following : Collecting eggs from the ducks (muddy) going on the beach and rockpooling (sandy/wet) eating ice creams (potentially messy) - you get the idea.   So I laid my clothes out and named them as follows : nautical/ice cream//layering.  Packing like this really organises your thoughts and stops you from taking items that are unlikely to be worn. Here are the photos of each outfit:

                                                                    Nautical

                                                                         
                                                                       Ice cream

                                                                        
                                                                         Layering

To travel I wore the Cos shirt dress which I wore earlier in the week (which I had actually managed to wash and iron in between!) with green River Island jeans and patent loafers.  I should really have belted the shirt dress but I just wanted to be comfortable for travelling.

I am going to get my Guernsey jumper made today which I am really looking forward to.  Alexa Chung has helped to maket them popular again as apparently Colin Firth, after wearing a Guernsey in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Now imagine bumping him today.  What a nice thought!

On the Run - An outfit for an Easter Service

Apologies for the over exposed photo - my daughter felt it was flattering though. Something to do with disguising my wrinkles she said.

This afternoon I went to see our youngest in her Easter service at school so I wore my new Oasis jacket which I bought just after Christmas in the sale. It was reduced from £85 to around £35.  I have just checked and although there aren't any online, I am sure that I saw one in store the other day. I put it with my trusty Cos trousers which serve many different purposes in my Wardrobe (the main one is that they prevent me from being arrested)!

I also wore some new navy patent slingbacks from Carvela at KG. Reduced from £75 to £49, and with 25% off courtesy of Grazia, they were a good price and comfortable too with a nice height heel for every day.  A slightly more pointed toe would make them more on trend but I am more interested in comfort!  Here's a link to them should you wish to take a look - they also come in leg lengthening nude. http://www.kurtgeiger.com/women/atomic-9.html

I have always thought that it would be nice to feature other ladies on Style Guile on a regular basis.  So, from a week on Saturday I will be starting a new feature "Serious Saturday Style" - but I need your help.

For all of you ladies out there with curves, or who are tall, or petite, or straight up and down, don an outfit that you like and send it to style@bethgoodrham.com and I will include you in the feature.  It doesn't have to be a going out outfit - just one that you like and which you think suits your shape. Whether it's an outfit for going to the park, going out with friends or going to the gym - I want to see them all - and I am sure that others do too.  If you would rather send a photograph of you with some friends that too is fine - just get them coming in. Please include your name and details of your outfit.

I am off to the Channel Islands tomorrow so will try and blog from there.  If I fail, I will catch up with you on my return. Enjoy the sun - I fear I am going somewhere cold. Typical!

On the Run - the Sun as an accessory (no, not the newspaper)!

I have spent the evening writing a post for Boden so this will just be a quickie! Hopefully the post will be on the Boden community page in the next few days so keep your eyes out for it!

This morning was a scootering kind of morning, hence the coral converse which have been brought out from hibernation. I also wore my Gap skinny jeans, Topshop leopard print belt, Gap breton top and Cos shirt dress.  I quite like a bit of a mix of stripes/animal print/colour for a Monday morning and it's OK against what is otherwise a very plain outfit. We thought that the sun made quite a nice accessory (largely of hiding my face - result!)

I think that I might have to find another door way to frequent soon as the neighbour of this house was looking at us slightly suspiciously this morning. Nevermind there are lots of other nice front doors in the area.

Imagine my surprise when, on opening the May edition of Easy Living magazine, I found an excerpt of an email which I had sent to them about their schoolrunway competition, printed on the letters page. Fortunately it wasn't controversial and our son got a mention, which I am sure he will be pleased about.

I think that their whole school runway idea (namely, looking at what women wear on the school run) has caused a certain amount of controversy - not necessarily the concept but rather what the London Mums in the first feature were wearing both in terms of cost and effort in looking as groomed as they did.  Easy Living should come to Birmingham - we'll show them a bit of mix and match high street!

Hope that you enjoyed the sun today.

On the Run - Sunday Best? More like Sunday Worst!

Well that plan came back to bite me on the bum didn't it? Having trashed the bedrooms of the eldest two, on the basis that I had a week to sort out their rubbish before they returned from a week's skiing, I now have one of them back. And she didn't even make it onto the 'plane.  She was too poorly to go away so has come home - but she still doesn't have a bedroom to sleep in so she's currently sharing with me, which is quite nice for both of us.

Part of my plan when the children were away this year was to move some of their bedroom furniture around and smarten it up a bit.  I have a couple of lovely wooden stools which haven't been painted for at least ten years so, still having most of the tin of paint left from painting the front door last summer, I decided that they too were going to end up bright pink.  And here they are...in a rather blue light.

I bought the stool on the left from a reclamation yard about 10 years ago. I distinctly remember painting it whilst heavily pregnant with our son, who is now ten.  It looks to me as though it might have woodworm so I thought that a good dose of toxic gloss would sort them out - or the colour might blind them.  In any event, woodworm probably don't really like mdf so the rest of the furniture is safe.  The stool on the right was my Grandma's so it could be over 100 years old.  It was last painted 15 years ago and I never did like it - so today it copped it. I hope that she would like it - it's certainly much loved in our house.

 After painting the furniture I decided to paint my nails with the Nails Inc nailvarnish bought for me for Mother's Day. I fancied this teal colour for a change. I figure it's good to experiment. I know that they aren't perfect but that's what you get for painting your nails whilst sitting on the door step in the sun leaning on a children's book!

Remember I said that there would be some triumphs and some disasters on Style Guile?  Well today's outfit isn't necessarily a disaster - but it is very "real" which is what SG is all about.

For today's activity it had to be jeans and these boyfriend ones are from Topshop.  The shirt is from Gap, the apron Cath Kidston and the shoes converse.  I only got a little paint on me - well on my shoes - which I then walked all over the tiles in the conservatory.  Ooops!

On the Run - A lacy racy Saturday!

Oh what a day!  I saw the eldest two and their Dad off on a skiing trip today which always leaves me feeling a bit odd. No fighting, no teenage music, no rubbish on the TV - too much calm leaves me feeling uneasy! Mind you I need a week to get sorted given that I managed to turn each of their bedrooms upside down about ten minutes after they left.  It's always dangerous starting on a sorting out project.  The ramifications go on and on....

Before he left, our son was playing with the hosepipe with his sister.  Unsurprisingly she got wet, so disappeared into the house, only to emerge five minutes later complete with wellies, raincoat and an umbrella - which was hilarious because the reason we were in the garden in the first place was because it was so sunny.

As I say, it was really warm in Brum land today, hence the wedge shoes, painted toe nails and lace top. Great in Brum - not so great at my Mum's where it is 8 degrees cooler. 

As to the outfit - I bought the top last year from Fusion at Monsoon and I am pleased to say that they have done another one almost similar this year - although it is a pinky coral colour. It is called the minnie lace blouse and costs £42 - http://www.monsoon.co.uk/fusion-minnie-lace-blouse/invt/12310284/

The jeans are from Mango, the necklace from Jigsaw and shoes from Dune.  When driving along I did see women in sun tops, flip flops and shorts but I'm not quite there yet! (Which is fortunate for anyone reading this!)

Mum on the Run: Spring tops - printed tops

This is the last in my series of posts about spring tops. So far I have covered grey marl tops (one with lace, one brighter) stripes and a colour block knit with an interesting design at the back. Today I am covering printed tops.

The thing about prints is that they are incredibly subjective. People seem to know immediately whether they like a particular print or not. Some people like florals, some like geometrics, some like safari, some like retro - the list goes on.  Paisley is huge this season - as confirmed by Stella McCartney in the press today when pictured with some of the Olympic Athletes who were wearing her designs.

The tops that I am wearing above and below are both from Cos and I liked them for the same reasons that I liked the other spring tops I have shown this week - they are just a little bit different.  For a start, they both button down the back. The one above has many different colours in it whilst the one below is more muted in that it is coral and cream. They are both a fairly relaxed fit which, provided they are worn with a fitted trouser, or bottom half in general, works OK - and it's nice not to have to worry about what your tummy/love handles are up to. They can jiggle away to their heart's delight away from view! The style isn't going to suit every body shape but the idea is to keep a look out for tops which are a little different and which have some unusual detail. That should be their attraction - not their detraction (I know that's not a proper word but you know what I mean.)

So, as to the news for the day. I found out that Style Guile has been short-listed in the Style category for the BritMums blog award - which I am very exited about.  Thank you to all of you who nominated me in the first instance - I am very grateful. I had concluded, when standing in the bank sorting out my husband's Euros for his skiing trip, that I hadn't been shortlisted, so it was nice to get home and find out that I had.  It is possible to vote for Style Guile by clicking on the badge to the right of the page. If you did have a spare moment to vote, and you like the blog enough, that would be fantastic.

I forgot to mention that I was on the radio yesterday.  I was asked to speak about "Mantyhose" - which are tights for men.  They come in different prints - stripes, stars and so on.  The presenter was taking the mick out of them so much before I even got on air that there was only one way that interview was going to go.  I have to say, it was very amusing though.  I wonder whether between us we have done as much damage to the brand as my husband has by wearing his Jack Wills hoodie.  Probably almost but not quite.

On the Run: Spring tops - a fine knit with a difference

So far this week I have looked at two different grey marl tops for spring and also some stripes.  Today it's the turn of the colour block fine knit.  This one is from M&S Limited Collection and costs £29.50.  My aim was to bring you some tops that were a little bit different and I think that this one ticks the boxes on that score.  This is the front......

and this is the back....

As you can see it is open at the back which gives a great opportunity to introduce an additional colour by way of bright vest (Topshop is always good for these and they do them with wide straps so that bra straps are hidden) or a print or some stripes.  Or if you have the figure of Kate Moss you could just not wear anything at all - but I won't be going down that particular road.

In the above photograph I am wearing the top with some M&S purple chinos which at £25 are a great price and also their pink slingbacks.

I am so pleased that I am going to have my hair cut tomorrow.  It has turned into a mushroom head and needs sorting out.  Last time I went I told the hairdresser that I had turned into a Beatle - as in one of the Beatles with a bowl head hair do. He looked at me oddly and afterwards I realised that he probably wasn't old enough to know who the Beatles were and instead thought that I was saying that I looked like a beetle.  I think tomorrow I'll just keep quiet.

On the Run: Spring tops - Stripes, but not as you know them!

I couldn't do a post about spring tops without including some stripes as they are so fresh and spring like.  Personally I love stripes but they are not everyone's cup of tea. Some people say that they can't "do" stripes but really though it's all about how you wear them.  If you take a look at the above top, you can see that the stripes around my waist are closer together than the ones further up - the effect of which is to define my waist, making it look smaller.  There are all sorts of tricks that stripes can play on the eye so it's worth trying a few things on to see how they look.  There are lots of stripes in the shops at the moment but they aren't all horizontal - some are vertical, some diagonal and some tops have a combination. There is a great one that I would like to show you from Marks and Spencer but it is currently at the bottom of one of these:

....the bags which are packed in preparation for tonight's style party which I am so looking forward to and for which I have had great fun shopping. Fond as I am of Marks and Spencer, trying to find things on their website can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack - so I will take a photo of it for you at another time.

The top that I am wearing is in fact a cardigan that I have on back to front as I preferred it that way round.  It was from H and M and cost the vast sum of £7.99. For those of you old enough to remember them, it reminded me of pacers! It could be worn either way around and layered under something (a denim shirt) over something (long sleeved cotton top) and put with all manner of plain bottoms - or even printed if you were feeling brave.  For the price I think it's a cracking little number to have in your wardrobe.

On the Run: Spring Tops: more grey marl!

Yesterday I started a feature which I am going to run for the rest of the week. It is designed to show you some spring tops which have a little something extra about them, whether in terms of colour, design, print or styling.  With the warmer weather approaching, we are getting ready to cast aside our heavier knitwear but we still need a little warmth in our clothes. 

Yesterday I featured a grey cotton knit from M&S, as shown below.  We are often told that grey marl is the way forward if we want a hugely versatile top in our Wardrobe. Whilst I don't necessarily disagree, I do think that grey can be a hard colour to wear and so I particularly liked this one from the Limited Collection at M&S which had some lace across it - adding a little something in terms of breaking up the "greyness" but without taking away any of its versatility.

My second top is also a grey sweat/knit but this one has a printed front and a scoop at the back.  There is no doubt that the addition of these features take away from its versatility but it would still work well with trousers and jeans - probably more of the 7/8th length or skinny variety rather than bootcut jeans but possibly both. In some ways the scoop at the back makes it an attractive proposition  as a bit of coverage in the bottom area can be a good thing!

This top is from Cos and is available for £45. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I like the mix of the bright yellow and neon pink and it's certainly falls into the category of being a little bit different.

The shoes that I am wearing are from the Limited Collection range at M&S and cost £25. I quite fancied a slingback for a change and they weren't too much of a financial commitment for a first foray. (Nor are they too high - which is also nice!)

The Kreativ Blogger Award

Oooh, how exciting to be given an award! The Kreativ Blogger award is received from other bloggers who like your blog and in my case, I am very grateful to Poppy's Style for sending the award my way.  Poppy's Style writes about fashion, family, friends and fun - an English lady living in the US, she shares her life there with us.

I like the whole concept of these "inter-blogging" awards, not only because it's nice to know that people like your blog but it's also nice to be able to award it to others whose blogs you like. Whilst I often drop someone an email if I like their blog, an award is a good way of acknowledging publicly that you like a blog's content and it also directs other bloggers their way too.

So, having thanked Poppy's Style, I now have to try and comply with the rules of the award, which I hope I manage to do and which are as follows:

• Thank the award giver and link back to them in their post (I am hopeful that this has worked!)
• Copy the award and post it (think I have that one sussed too)
• Tell readers seven things about yourself (oh hec - I don't think I have anything that interesting to tell!)
• Award multiple others and tell them about the award (reckon I can manage that - fingers crossed)

So here goes with my seven things:

1. I am left handed but none of our children are (boo!)
2. I did ballet until I was 18, at which point I was the only one left in the class. Everyone else was too cool for ballet - not me!
3. I used to play the violin so badly that the cat would run out of the house!
4. I have a wonderful husband and we make a great team, something which I appreciate more and more every day; 
5. When I get an idea in my head I am a formidable force. My husband has taken to giving me "projects" to keep me out of mischief!
6. Our children have made me more tired, more cross, more scared (when they are ill) and sadder (when they are upset) than anything, or anyone, ever could - but they have brought me more joy, happiness and laughter than anything, or anyone, ever could and I am so proud of them all;
7. My Mum is fab. x

Here are the others to whom I wish to give the award - please drop by their blogs and say hi:

http://anne-heartandsoul.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.theonlinestylist.co.uk/
http://nottinghillgirl.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.lottiesinteriors.blogspot.co.uk/
http://thatsnotmyage.blogspot.co.uk/

iStylista - Your Online Personal Stylist

For those of you who have been reading Style Guile for a while now, you may remember that I wrote a post a while ago about "iStylista" - Your Online Personal Stylist. 

Just to re-cap, iStylista is run by Chantelle Znideric, an award winning personal stylist. Chantelle founded iStylista in 2007 as a result of a desire to offer personal shopping and professional style advice to women anywhere in the world, at the click of a button.

From the consumers point of view, iStylista can be utilised in three way. First, by entering your details, it is possible to download your very own personal style guide, tailor made to take account of your bodyshape, colouring, height - everything really! The guides are fantastic, very detailed and a real reference point for the future.

Secondly, by completing an online style profile, the team of stylists at iStylista will pre-select pieces for your specific requirements which can then be purchased on line or direct from the stores.

Thirdly, if you would like enlist the service of a Personal Stylist to help you re-vamp your Wardrobe, shop for a specific occasion, create a capsule wardrobe or for any other styling requirement, you can use iStylista's global personal stylist directory to find a stylist in your area, who will also be happy to provide a free fifteen minute telephone consultation. And yes, it does include me!

So if you have a spare few minutes during your lunch break and would like to utilise the services of a personal shopper from the comfort of your desk,  it could be well worth dropping by iStylista to familiarise yourself with the site and to see how it can benefit you.

Happy shopping!

On the Run: Spring tops - Grey Marl

I have decided to do a series of posts this week on tops for spring.  Personally I think that tops can be quite tricky. Finding ones that have some interest about them whether by way of their shape, colour, print, fabric, or design, can be challenging.  There are plenty of t-shirts and long sleeve t's available but not only are they a teensy bit dull, they can also cling in the wrong places or alternatively if too big, can cover any hint of a shape. Shirts are OK but can be a bit corporate and boxy and generally they need ironing. Arggh! So finding something that is pretty but warm and a little different as I say, can be tricky.

Popular opinion is that we should all have a grey marl sweat top amongst the tops that we own and that it will be our saviour in any given situation.  Whilst I don't necessarily disagree, flat grey can be hard to wear.  However I quite like this Limited Collection pure cotton grey striped jumper which is quite cheeky and at £29.50 is a good price.  The fact that the grey is broken up with the cream lace makes it easier for my fair (OK, pasty!) complexion to carry off. 

The shoes are from Clarks and are called Trilby Hat.  They cost £44.99 and also come in yellow and red. I have to say that they are very comfortable and I quite like them because they are fairly covered up and not too "naked" if you know what I mean. True, they are fairly chunky but that is definitely a good thing for those with slightly heavier legs as they can make them look slimmer whereas dainty shoes just create an imbalance.  Remember when there was that whole Rachel Zoe look going on in the states when the waifs carrying the huge bags looked small enough to fit in them?  Well with chunkier shoes it's that kind of idea but not quite so extreme.

 
Just as an aside, you can see from the above photo how the short top makes my legs look longer than they are.  Raising the waist will have that effect.  It is possible to achieve the same effect with a dress by layering a short bright jacket, or a bolero, over a dark dress - quite a nice trick with a work dress if you also add some heels.

Speaking of heels, they were something that I was not wearing at 4pm this afternoon when doing a substitute ballet lesson at home with our youngest, as she was unable to attend her proper lesson. To stop her tears I had to pretend to be a rabbit leaping around the kitchen, finding a carrot, pulling it out of the ground and then eating it.  This expanded into me being an elephant, giraffe and finally a hippo rolling in the mud.  At least she found it funny 

On the Run - Some Sunday Fun at the Wedding Show

The first thing that I did this morning when I woke up was to go and show our eldest my Harry Styles quiff.  Whenever I see him on TV I am aghast at the ridiculousness of his hair do - really, it could have featured on Dynasty in the 80's. So, the last laugh was on me when one of my Mother's Day presents just happened to be - a poster of Harry himself, which is now proudly displayed on the wall of my work room.

After a lovely family breakfast the eldest and I headed off to the wedding show, where we got into trouble for taking photographs - it's all to do with copyright and the NEC being worried that people will nip home and in the whisker of a gnats whatsits whip up a copy wedding dress and sell it. Had they ever witnessed my sewing skills that really wouldn't have been a concern of theirs. I am challenged by the name tapes so copying a wedding dress would be way beyond my capabilities. Anyway, when we saw the above image we couldn't help but take a photo of it. Oh what rebels we are!

For anyone who loves retro sweets - or just the look of them, this was an amazing stand...

and if you love flying saucers in particular, just take a look at this... Should you like the look of them for your wedding, they were by "Candy Girls" who you can find on facebook at "Candy Girls Tables"

I really took the photograph below for my husband as I knew that it would appeal to his sense of humour.  There was a stall advertising a hog roast but for obvious reasons real piggies (dead or alive) weren't allowed in the NEC. However stuffed toy pigges - well that was a different matter entirely.

I have to say that some of the wedding dresses were more Fat Gypsy Wedding than I would have liked.  From a stylist's and a personal perspective, there seems to be so little choice out there.  The majority were off the shoulder, lots of big skirts, ruffles and very fussy.  There were few with sleeves or simple lines.  See what I mean?!!! I am hoping that you will let me off this week from "Sunday Best" and that the dress below will count instead. I think that I might be pushing it there though!

However, there was one stand run by Silk of Lichfield (www.SilkBrides.com) and they had some really stylish dresses, such as this 30's inspired one below...

and this lovely simple 1950's inspired dress.  If you happen to be a bride over a certain age, weight, or bust size, or even if you just don't want to follow current trends in bridal wear, your options are fairly limited at the moment so it's worth starting your research early if you want something which will really work well for you.

We had a great day out, lots of fun and laughs and we are soon off to Pizza Express to round off a lovely Mother's Day - famous last words!

On the Run - Some Serious Saturday Style!

Today my lovely friend, Vicky, came to visit me and kindly agreed to let me take a photograph of her for Style Guile.  I met Vicky the first day that I started work in Birmingham in 1995 and we had many, many great lunchtime shopping expeditions before she eventually moved to Newcastle about nine years ago. However, we still meet a couple of times a year in Leeds for a shopping/eating/chatting day out and I look forward to those days so much.  Fortunately we have one coming up in May, so we are both very excited.

Vicky has the most incredible Wardrobe and is the Queen of Chic! She has a fabulous knack of mixing designer with high street and always looks totally polished and amazing.  She is an accomplished sale shopper and has a great eye not only for a bargain but also fantastic pieces.  She always has a very clear idea of what suits and what she is looking for and she doesn't settle for second best - if it's not exactly what she is after, it stays on the shelf.

The beautiful bag  that Vicky had with her today was from Patrick Cox but she also told me about a new site she has discovered from which she recently bought an orange leather bag for £40. Last summer she bought a linen suit for work from Primark and swapped the buttons for some John Lewis ones and I can imagine that she looked stunning in it. Her shoe collection is pretty impressive too and today she told me about her new Michael Kors ballerinas and also some pretty Dune flats too. 

Tomorrow I will be bringing you "Sunday Best" from the Wedding Show - I am very excited about going as I love weddings.  As our eldest was at our wedding, 9 months old and with a virus so crying constantly, I would love to get married again - to my husband, naturally!

Vicky's outfit today was:

Skinny side zipped jeans - Reiss
Top - Newcastle Boutique
Cardi - White Company
Shoes - Can't remember!
Bag - Patrick Cox
Scarf - Malene Birger