Mum on the Run - How to wear Neutrals. Mixing it up with lace, linen, broderie anglaise and sparkles

When it comes to neutrals, most of us tend to have plenty of them in our wardrobe. Whether it's at the darker end of the spectrum - navy/black/dark grey or at the lighter end - cream/beige/white/soft grey (ie all the Farrow & Ball colours) it seems to be those colours that we find the least challenging, or more probably the safest, to wear.

 

There's no denying that head to toe neutrals can look uber chic, especially if the textures are mixed up a little. However accent colour such as coral, turquoise, hot pink and lime green also work well, taking them down a slightly different road.

 

The lighter neutral colours will act as a higlighter, so place those where you are happy for the attention to be attracted - or conversely, it's better not to put them on those areas with which you are less happy. A case in point being my trying on of the yellow skinnies yesterday. Whilst not exactly neutral, they were light enough to act as a highlighter in all the wrong places!

 

 

  

These are some of the pieces that I chose to take along to last week's event. I mixed cotton, linen, lace and broderie anglaise, all in creams and whites or shades thereof, with a pretty sparkly top.

 

 

Along the top row left to right:

 

Zara linen biker jacket. I love the contrast sleeves on this and it looked great when put with a coral coloured statement necklace;

 

Coast pencil skirt. This is really pretty and is shot with a gold thread. Lovely for a wedding;

 

Zara beaded top - so pretty with beaten up jeans and flat sandals for the day or with fitted trousers and a blazer for an evening out. In fact it went really well under the Zara trouser suit that I showed you earlier in the week;

 

Middle line left to right:

 

H&M cream skinny jeans, best described with a damsask pattern in them. Not for everyone but great wtih heels and a relaxed fit top for a night out;

 

Zara linen T - a slouchy, comfortable basic;

 

H&M cream tailored trousers - good quality fabric with some stretch in it and thick enough so that pants won't show through it!

 

Bottom line left to right;

 

Clarks brogues - a smarter alternative to converse an a nice change from ballet pumps, especially on slightly chillier days. These also come in other colours;

 

H&M broderie anglaise dress - this is made of 100% organic cotton and has a great length to it, so whilst it may be strapless, I can imagine wearing it on holiday without feeling as though I shouldn't be.

 

 

 Hope that you like some of the bits and bobs above. Have a great bank holiday weekend.

 

Mum on the Run - New red shiny Topshop shoes and a story to make you all feel better....

Today's post was meant to be the "how to wear naturals" post but I'm interrupting it to bring you the news that I definitely should not be allowed out of the house. To anyone concerned about themselves, I am sure that this will make you feel better!

Today was one of those surreal days. It started off with us having to abandon the car to get to school because there was a fire on the High Street and all of the roads were cordoned off by the police. That in itself was odd for around here - the fire, not the roads being shut - although come to think of it, last time I went in to that particular shoe shop they didn't have much stock as it had all just been stolen. Say no more.

Then I when I was in Birmingham doing the returns from last week's event, I realised that I couldn't find my receipt for Zara and with nearly £500 worth of clothes to return, that had the potential to cause me some difficulty. I had visions of asking my friend to put it all on eBay for me to try and recoup the loss.  However the Manager, Leanne, really put herself out and having pleaded with head office they agreed to give me a full refund, which was astonishing. I said that I felt like hugging her but that would be in a little inappropriate but she said to go ahead anyway, so I did. So that too was all a bit surreal.

Finally, and this is the point at which I really felt like I had started to lose the plot, I found myself in the "Build a Bear Workshop" standing in front of the racks of clothes, debating which outfit to buy for our daughter's rabbit for our weekend away. Such was the pressure (self inflicted) to get it right, I nearly had a melt down. I'd far rather source a whole wardrobe for a client than choose an outfit for Daisy the rabbit .  Having spent more on a set of PJ's, slippers and a beach outfit for this rabbit than I have ever spent on our real, actual, proper, children I told the assistant that it was officially time to section me.  How I have managed to make it home, collect the children from school and cook their dinner, I have no idea.

Whilst all of the above was going on, this was what I was wearing - minus the new red shiny shoes which I bought today from Topshop - without incident I hasten to add.

NW3 blazer that I have had my eye on since last summer and which I recently bought in the sale at a drastically reduced price;

GAP high waisted skinny jeans which I fear are on their way out now - too comfortable, they must be losing their shape!

H&M neon T-shirt - a bargain at £7.99

Whistles scarf

Kausar cross body bag - required to keep receipts/credit cards etc safe and within easy reach whilst shopping!

 

Now, as to the shoes...

 

 

 

These are Topshop clog sandals (£45). I've always loved wooden soled shoes and had my first pair from Freeman Hardy and Willis (remember them) when I took a size 13. The pair after that were never as good as those first ones.

I've also had some pink Scholls but every time I tried to walk fast I walked out of them and did myself an injury. Anyway, I've had my eye on something like this for a while and liked a style that Topshop did a couple of years ago, as well as the range by Swedish Hasbeens for H&M last summer. None of them were quite right though but I loved the colour of these as soon as I saw them. The fact that whilst they have a heel on them they are easy to walk in is a real bonus for someone who would like to be just that little bit taller.

Mum on the Run - Not sure how to wear yellow? See if any of these pieces inspire you to give it a whirl....

For many years yellow was the much under-rated poorer cousin of all things blue or pink and to a lesser extent, green.  However the last couple of seasons have seen yellow appearing in abundance in the shops - and indeed in the new kitchen of a friend of mine in her yellow toaster, kettle, bin, coasters and so on. Fashion and interiors really do mimic one another.

 

I was looking around and about today at all things yellow and apart from the obvious things such as lemons, the sun, daffodils, creamy yellowy custard and Selfridges bags (!) it's also found on the side of the bags from EAT, grit boxes, signs to new housing developments and some high vis jackets. It's amazing what you find when you're looking for it!

 

  

These are the pieces that I bought for last week's event in support of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer. There's only one piece that I haven't photographed on its own and that's the yellow cotton shirt (from H&M). Having sat in a bag over the weekend it wasn't looking at it's best - and we all know how it feels to be photographed looking a bit crumpled and not as we should be.

 

Again, working from the top left in a clockwise direction we have:

 

Zara coat - probably the best Louis Vuitton copy you will see on the High Street. Checks to perfection! Fantastic with ankle length jeans and some block heeled shoes for a nod to that 60's feel. Yellow and white make a great combination - just think of the inside of a Cadbury's creme egg;

 

H&M jeans - These are lovely and soft. I keep meaning to try them on but I'm not sure that yellow jeans and I would be a match made in heaven. However they would look fab with a navy or black top (there's a great linen one with three quarter sleeves in Whistles) which has got me thinking. Maybe I should give them a try....

 

Boden cashmere jumper - in my favourite combination of grey and yellow. Lovely with white jeans on a warmer day, or grey or dark denim on a chillier one;

 

NW3 top - With just a hint of yellow for those who don't want to do the full on canary look;

 

Zara bag - Again, great for anyone who wants to dip their toe into the yellow water without wearing it as an item of clothing. Wearing a colour some distance from your body is always a more gentle introduction to it then embracing it head on;

 

Whistles - grey and yellow/green sequinned jumper. This is a subtle way to wear sequins in that they are matt and the style of the jumper is very relaxed.

Tomorrow it's the turn of neutrals!

Mum on the Run - How to wear prints? Take inspiration from pieces from Zara, Coast and H&M

It seemed a shame to do all of the shopping for the style event last week and not to share some of my finds with you before returning them to the stores - well, returning most of them anyway. As you might imagine, there are one or two things which may find their way into my wardrobe. 

 

Today it's the turn of the printed pieces. There are lots of prints on the High Street at the moment from florals, to geometric, to Aztec and chequerboard.

 

 

Prints can do a great job of adding interest to a relatively plain wardrobe, working in some colour, disguising parts of us that we may prefer to disguise or drawing attention to certain areas. 

 

 

From top left, going in a clockwise direction we have:

 

Zara trainers - mad or what? I love them!

 

Zara pencil skirt - lovely with a crisp white shirt, or reference one of the other colours in it in a plain top. This print can be used to good effect to draw the attention towards narrow hips and slim legs and away from other areas.

 

Coast A-line skirt, great for those who suit a skirt with a little more fabric in it - keep the top fitted, to show off a neat waist.

 

Zara printed shirt - A fab piece for curvier ladies to wear with fitted trousers, or as a beach cover up.



 

 

Again, from top left in a clockwise direction:

 

H&M geometric print trousers - great fabric, thick and supportive with stretch in it. Lovely with a simple top, black blazer and heels for an evening out;

 

Coast dress - loving the cobalt blue and acid green in this dress - great neckline too;

 

Zara top - as the print is on the back and with the front being plain, it's a fantastic piece for those who would like to dabble their toe in the print water but are a little nervous of doing so. This would work well with cobalt blue skinny jeans (Gap has khakis and skinnies in this colour) and converse or flat sandals/ballet pumps/smoking slippers for an every day look.

 

 

Check in tomorrow - it will be the turn of the yellow pieces!

 

Mum on the Run - A Friday wish: Please, when will it be warm enough for me to wear this without freezing to death?

I just want to say a big hello and a big thank you to everyone who came along to the event last night in aid of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer. It was a great evening with lots of chatting and laughter. I would imagine that there were probably one or two sore heads this morning, which is always a sign of a good night out.  

 

Crikey, it was cold today. These photos were taken just after we had arrived home from school, having run all the way back to get warm. We were due to go straight out again but not before the youngest nipped up to her bedroom to get her fleecy hat and gloves, which she needed as it promptly began to hail.

 

The sun lulled me in to a false sense of security before I went out for this afternoon's school run. Thinking that it would be fairly warm outside I wore a mac but that didn't cut the mustard at all and it will be relegated to the "not quite warm enough to wear yet" pile when I am packing for our weekend away in Brighton (which is what I should be doing now so I will quit wittering soon and get on)!

 

As to the rest of the outfit - having had two late nights in a row (I know, rad or what?) I felt that a walk to school would be good so really it went from the trainers northwards, to Hobbs jeans, a couple of lighterweight (ie not warm enough) jumpers, All Saints mac, Gap scarf, Kausar bag.

I think that the late nights were reflected in my pallor - either that or the new make-up that I have bought is too pale for me, which is a near impossibility, so I felt the need for colour, hence the scarf/bag/trainer combo.

Right, I had better go and get on with that packing now. Cheerio and I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.

Mum on the Run - Hush Clothing. Now the weather is warmer this is what I AM wearing!

Today I thought that I'd tell you about Hush, which is a another favourite brand of mine. I have a pair of their Fold Over trousers and as you might imagine from the name, the waist band is huge - going beyond the status of belly warmer, almost to boob warmer, but you can fold it over to exactly where is comfortable, which as we know, can change from day to day. Given a choice I would probably live in them all day long, surrounded by fashion mags and Toblerone.

 

For those not familiar with Hush, it's great for relaxed jersey separates including t's and over sized sweatshirts, scooped back tops, tube skirts, vests, knits and great heeled Chelsea boots. Hush offers the backbone to a dress-down wardrobe - not to mention fantastic nightwear too.

 

It's really nice to be asked to work with a brand - although I'm always slightly scared in case I don't manage to do the pieces justice and I do more harm than good.  It is great for clothes to be seen on real life women as opposed to models but there again models are models for a reason - not that models aren't real women too but you know what I mean. I suppose that was the good thing about the snow lasting as long as it did - by the time we finally got the ball rolling, at least my mono brow had been turned back into two eyebrows.

 

For this post I was asked to choose from a selection of pieces and I chose to wear the zip cuff trousers (£55) and the  Sandra top (£80) on the basis that a) I didn't fancy getting my legs out just yet, which ruled out (lovely as they are) shorts, or a skirt, or a dress and b) I could see how these pieces would be a great summer version of my winter uniform of skinny jeans and a chunky knit.

 

 I really liked the colour of these whale zip cuff trousers - plus the fact that they have a cuff, and a zip - as the name describes. Some of the reviews said that they came up a little short but I like the length of them, together with the fact that the zip can be undone.

The Sandra jumper is  pretty too. It's scoopy and slouchy with loose and tight knit panels, the contrast between which works really well. When Flo and I decided to go for a walk on Saturday, I just changed the Mango heels for the fuschia Nike trainers and accessorised with her RE book!

For a trip out later on in the afternoon I thought that I would probably need a jumper and coat so swapped the Sandra knit for a striped jumper and added my Oasis leather jacket for warmth - predictably.

There's currently an offer of with Hush, who are doing £10 off 10 pieces and there's also free delivery on all orders over £75. There will be £10 off a further 10 products on Thursday and another 10 over the weekend. The Sandra top currently has £10 off until mid-night tonight. I don't know about you but I think that tonight could be the perfect night for a little peruse of the Hush website.

I should add that because I liked the pieces so much, I emailed Hush to ask whether I could buy them from them. Whilst there's no denying that it's nice to be gifted things, I never expect anyone to give me anything for free. However, Hush have kindly gifted the pieces to me but that's not why I'm writing nice things about them - I'm writing nice things because I wore them all day Saturday and made them stinky so couldn't return them. No, not really - I just really liked them and hope that you do too.

Mum on the Run - A chance for you and (a friend) to win a £500 Boden gift card. Here's what you have to do...

I'm really excited to tell you about a great new competition which is being run by Boden. The winner (and a friend) will each receive a £500 gift card and an invitation to the exclusive Boden press event. All the details on how to enter are below.

 

As you all know, I love Boden and for me it goes from strength to strength each season. With fantastic cashmere, slubby linen T's, sequinned knits, stylish blazers and bright handbags  to great coats and boots in the winter and with pieces coming in a size 6 to 22 (and some in a petite too) there's something for everyone. Good luck!

 

 

 

Mum on the Run - Loving.....the Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo collaboration

Today's post takes a look at the recent collaboration between Celia Birtwell and Uniqlo. I really like the way that Uniqlo work with designers, making their pieces accessible to the masses. It was the same with Orla Kiely's range. The prices are always so good too.

 

Celia Birtwell and her husband, Ossie Clark (as many of you will know) were designers in the 1970's. They designed Mick Jagger's stage catsuits and moved in circles which included Brian Ferry and David Hockney.  Married from 1969 to 1974, the couple went their separate ways after their divorce but Celia Birtwell has continued to design.

 

This picture is taken from one of my favourite books, "Vintage Fashion" and shows a 1971 Ossie Clark-Celia Birtwell coat in her famous Floating Daisy print.

 

 

This is an alternative variation of the Floating Daisy design, featuring the floral print alongside a grid design on the bodice, collar and sleeves. Pure 70's genuis!

 

Some of you may remember the collaboration betwee Celia Birtwell and Topshop, which must have been seven or eight years ago now. I had a lovely shirt with a cream background and a green and brown floral print on it, Sounds yuck doesn't it - but it was lovely. I remember visiting a friend in London whilst wearing it and she loved it so much that on my way home I went via Topshop on Oxford Street to buy one which I then sent back to her. Anyway, it must be said that the quality wasn't that great and mine didn't survive - but I still wish that I had kept it.

So anyway, this is the cover shot of the Uniqlo collaboration with Celia Birtwell. There's a whole range of pieces to include t-shirts, leggings, dresses and my favourite....

...this navy blue shirt, which alas appears to be sold out on-line. If anyone is passing Uniqlo and feels inclined to pop in and then let me know whether they are still stocked in store, I would love to know. Thank you!

I also like this Celia Birtwell scarf. Cobalt blue is such a big colour this season and this scarf incoporates so many other colours that it could do a great job of pulling jeans, a white top and a blazer together to make a proper outfit. Throw in a cream bag, some converse, nude heels or flat gold sandals and you're sorted!

Mum on the Run - A smart outfit dressed down for the weekend, an outfit with a Boden coat and how a sausage came to ruin my trousers!

So, how is everyone? I really hope that you have all had a little bit of sunshine and that it has lifted everyone's spirits. At last it feels as though spring may be here. Hopefully one or two of you will have bought yourselves a lovely Zatchels bag with 50% off. Knowing that there is something to look forward later on in the week is always such a pleasant prospect.

 

I have been on two long walks with the eldest this weekend - "revision walks" - although they just turned into general chatting walks really. It was so nice to go out minus a coat. This weekend has also seen me taking the youngest out on her bike alot. She keeps telling me that she's nearly there and all that she needs to get a hang of are the balance and the steering. Righty ho then.

 

Thank you to everyone for your support for the charity Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer and the event on Thursday night. I look forward to seeing lots of you there.

 

With time so short (for everyone, not just me) taking snaps of what I am wearing is the best way to get material for the blog but hopefully I will have the time to bring you some other things soon.

 

This is what I wore when working with a client on Friday. Luckily a new Boden shirt arrived on Thursday, which sat well under a grey Whistles knit, bought with a 25% off Grazia offer a few weeks ago now.

 

 

The trousers are from Jigsaw - a sale purchase from the end of last summer and the blazer is a Gap one. The heels are from Rockport. I like the idea of something which looks like a suit but which isn't a suit. I don't know why - I guess it's a little bit less corporate but of course it's totally psychological, as most of these things are.

After getting home, off came all the things that were smart about the outfit and they were replaced with sequinned flats and jeans, for a "double sequins" look (in case you can't tell, there are sequins on the jumper).

This was Thursday's outfit when working with another lady, who had the most incredible wardrobe of clothes I have ever seen - and I have seen lots. Wow, just stunning (her wardrobe, not me). No, I was in a drop waist teal Whistles dress, a Hobbs necklace and an 11 year old Boden coat!

 

This was today's uber casual outfit for our early morning walk/bike ride/hanging out the washing and anything else that came my way. When posting about these trousers previously, I recall that some didn't like them. Well, you'll be pleased to know that on their first wearing they copped it and the culprit? A sausage!

 

 

Given that the sun was out, Mr SG decided that a BBQ was in order and as I was cutting a sausage in half for the intrepid bike rider, it squirted fat all down my trousers. Oh flippety flip flip. Funny how all of the children know about the "Vanish" adverts isn't it? Great marketing!

 

And of course I had to include a shot or two of One Direction. Despite my tweets taking the mick out of myself and them, they were very good and the our eldest and her friends had a blast which is what, after all, it was all about. I think that I have just about remembered their names....

Blinding!

Mum on the Run - Quick, bag yourself a Zatchels bargain!

 

I know from previous correspondence that I have had with several of you that there is a great appetite for Zatchels and so when I was asked to let you all know about their flash sale on Saturday 20th April I didn't hesitate in thinking that it was a pretty good idea. Not only that but I have often looked at them when in Liberty so for anyone not familiar with them, now might be a good time to take a closer look.

 

Zatchels will shortly be two years old and they will be celebrating their 2nd Birthday with a 50% OFF EVERYTHING FLASH SALE on Saturday 20^th April, offering customers 50% off all Zatchels collections for a 24 hour period.

 

As an experienced shopper (!) this sale appeals to me on many levels. Not only is the discount a healthy one - none of that 10% nonsense going on here - but it applies across the board to all collections, not just a chosen few which need to be helped on their way out of the warehouse.

 

I should declare at this point that in writing about this sale, I stand to benefit from a free Zatchels bag. However, my interest isn't entirely personal - I still think it's worth telling everyone about. So for anyone with a daughter going to secondary school, this could be the perfect time to buy one. Actually forget that, now might be the perfect time to treat yourself - there's something for everyone! 

 

Have a great weekend and thank you to everyone who has contacted me about the event next Thursday - your support for the charity is very much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mum on the Run - Speaking at an event for Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer - why not come along for an evening of fun?!

Today's post is all about promoting a fanstastic local charity, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer and I also wanted to tell you about an event at which I will be speaking on Thursday next week (25th).

 

The charity was set up with the aim of buying additional equipment for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The first fundraising project saw the team of volunteers raise £5000 to buy a cooling cap to prevent hair loss during treatment. A further sum of £150 000 was raised to buy an Ultrasound scanner.

 

In total the charity has raised over £1 million which has provided the hospital with vital equipment, enabling it to become a centre of excellence. As a result of this, the hospital is able to provide patients with a level of treatment far beyond the means of the NHS.

 

Funds are currently being raised to buy a second, and much urgently needed, mobile mammogram trailer.

 

I will be hitting the shops beforehand, buying all sorts of fabulous pieces about which to talk during my "bit".  My aim is to provide plenty of hints and tips on styling, to look at some trends for the season, to talk about building the perfect capsule wardrobe - and anything else that I think may take our fancy! There are some great raffle prizes, fabulous stalls and a fashion quiz too.

So, if you would like to come along, please drop me a line at style@bethgoodrham.com Otherwise, I just really wanted to try and help raise awareness of this charity. Breast cancer is a cause which is close to many of us, so any help which you could offer in terms of raising awareness, making a donation, offering a raffle prize or even better, coming along and saying hello, would be very much appreciated.

You can follow LFBC on twitter here and on Facebook here

Thank you!

Mum on the Run - Layering a dress over trousers and wearing a couple of Bicester purchases...

With the impending trip to One Direction (sorry, I can't bring myself to write the whole 1D thing) I don't think that there will be time for a post tomorrow night, so here's a quick one until I return, probably with ringing ears.

 

There's a closer shot of this All Saints dress below, which I bought at Bicester in March, along with the Hobbs shoes that I am wearing. I hadn't appreciated the height of the "scoop" at the side of the dress but let's just say that whilst it hangs in my wardrobe, it will only be worn over trousers. Yeah, says she of the "I don't like wedge trainers" statement.

 

Not being sure how over exposed the outside shots would be, we headed indoors to take a couple more over exposed shots but nevermind.

The leather jacket added warmth, the coral necklace some colour and I was good for the day - until I returned home having seen a friend's freshly painted kitchen and decided that our paintwork needed sprucing up. The outfit of too short, too wide, 9 year old Topshop boyfriend jeans elicited the comment of "nice outfit" from the eldest. Nice outfit indeed. I think that she might find me wearing it tomorrow night when we go and see Harry and the boys.

All Saints dress (above) which also comes in a top and Hobbs NW3 shoes (below)

Mum on the Run - Two days of outfits and planning our trip to One Direction!

See, not a wedge trainers in sight, although the boyfriend jeans seem to be getting a bit of a battering. I fear it's because they are a relaxed fit, which translates to roomy, which translates to comfortable, which translates to me being to eat more toblerone. Fantastic!

 

Spring has finally sprung here. Yesterday when we went out of the front door it was just like stepping off a plane in Benidorm, or somewhere equally exotic. It was a little windy and it rained for the rest of the day but hey, it was definitely warmer. Yipppee. It was the same today too. Two days in a row must mean that spring is here to stay.

 

It was so warm, I wore a short sleeved top yesterday - probably the first time since last September. This is a plain top from Hobbs NW3, which I bought in the sale last summer. It's slightly larger than I would normally have but I didn't want it to be too fitted. As with most simple pieces, it's really versatile in that I can wear it with jeans, under a smart blazer, with a pencil skirt, with a long sleeved striped top layered underneath or worn over a maxi dress. Here I wore it with Gap boyfriend jeans, All Saints shoes and H&M coral necklace, to brighten it up.

 

 

This is a closer shot of my "rocker" belt from Topshop. I had my eye on a Jigsaw one at the time but it was nearly £100 so I went to Topshop for a less expensive alternative. In truth it probably wasn't quite as nice as the Jigsaw one but it's such a long time ago now that I can't remember what the Jigsaw one was like, which I guess is one benefit of the passage of time!

Being a lazy whatsit, I wore the same jeans and shoes today but layered a couple of lighterweight jumpers under this cape, which I bought in the Zara sale at the end of last summer for £10. It hasn't been warm enough to wear until now but (as I keep on saying) today it was. What a great disguiser it is of all things that need disguising! I'm a bit of a fan of a polo neck and it has separate sleeves, which I like.

 

Later on in the day I swapped the shoes for eye wateringly bright trainers when I took the youngest out on her bike - minus stabilisers but which she can't yet ride on her own. Not that my back kills me or anything now.

The trainers were then swapped for wellies when we went in the garden to plant flowers. We now have about 500 000 poppies growing in 1 square cm of soil and when they were watered, they needed mouth to mouth and a life raft.

Along with two of her friends, I am taking the eldest to see One Direction on Wednesday. I've decided that the least cool thing ever is to sing along only to the cover versions they do, in this case "One way or another" and "Teenage kicks" because all that does is show your age.

 

No, the only thing to do is to either sing along to nothing, or everything. This means either a) listening to One Direction songs non-stop for the next two days, because it will take me that long to learn their deep and meaningful lyrics or b) standing there mutely.

 

I have a c) up my sleeve, which is to go and chuck my biggest Bridget Jones knickers at them instead. 

Mum on the Run - Swooning over (no, not George Clooney) but LK Bennett shoes and wearing a little Hobbs, Gap, Dune and French Connection

I keep seeing the lovely LK Bennett Aroa sandal wherever I look, so I thought that they deserved a little collage of their own. I'm a sucker for anything broderie anglaise and the fact that they are such pretty colours and a lovely design means that I am smitten. They're like French Fondant Fancies for feet!

Keeping it brief, the weather still hasn't been up to much of late. It was raining all day yesterday which meant that we stayed inside so with that in mind (and the fact that there were six children here) I decided to give my Dune brogues from last summer a trial run. With boyfriend jeans, a French Connection striped jumper and Gap bird print scarf I was good for the day and I only managed to get my scarf caught in the dishwasher about 350 times.

This morning we managed a shot outside. Hopefully you will all be good enough to notice the new door mat and freshly planted pots in preparation for outside shots, as opposed to the bag containing the children's too small school shoes which need to be re-cylced, and the rest of the re-cycling. It would be unfair to blame a five year old for including them.

I promised not to include the wedge trainers for a while but there's a reason for wearing them which goes like this. Yesterday I was asked whether I would like to interview a couple of celebs on Monday. Having agreed, I looked at the state of my eyebrows and decided that they needed some serious attention, hence an emergency 8.45am trip to the beautician at the end of the road.  As I keep telling everyone, the wedges are so comfortable that they were perfect for the fact that, predictably, I left slightly later than I should have done. Actually, I'm secretely quite pleased that the cost per wear of them has now gone down to, oh I don't know, at least £25.

We then went off to see my Mum for the day and so it was that a Monsoon lace top came to be worn together with the Hobbs blazer that I wore the other day - because now that the temperature is right I really want to get some wear out of it and it also goes better with creams and lighter blues than with darker winter colours - and a Lola Rose scarf. Fortunately Mum doesn't have a dishwasher so there were no near strangling incidents but I did manage to dangle it in the washing up bowl a few times.

Right, I will now go and join the rest of the family and watch Britain's Got Talent (unless I can find some washing/ironing that needs to be done instead). Hope that everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Mum on the Run - In Primark, New Look, M&S, Ash and Jigsaw for another lovely sunny day!!!!

I was a little less "tucked in" today but believe me it's all show. Underneath that untucked denim shirt was a vest that was so well tucked into my trousers (and belted in too, come to think of it) that it would have taken a minor earthquake to untuck it all.

 

I realise that the wedge trainers have featured far too much of late but I finally sussed out last night as I was drifting off to sleep, what it is all about. Remember that I mentioned that they were comfortable? Well hold that thought.

A few weeks ago my Mum was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthirits in her feet. One of the pieces of advice she was given was to wear lace up shoes. The fact that they were laced up meant that they would stay securely on her feet, allowing her to take a slightly larger or wider size/width, which would reduce the discomfort in her feet.

Well hello Ash wedge trainers. Lace up? You bet. All the way up the ankle in fact. Generous of size? Tick. Mine are a generous size 6. Slightly wider than usual? Absolutely. The shape of the toe means that there's no pinching going on.

So, basically the reason that I love them has nothing to do with trends/looks/being cool (never have been, never will) or anything else. No! The reason that I love them is that they serve the same purpose as an orthopedic shoe - not that Mum is in those yet. She's still looking at Hotters/Padders and Echo.  The rate I'm going, I fear that I may get to the real thing before she does.

Anyway, I promise not to post about them for a while. For those interested in the rest of the get up, the shirt is from New Look, the jumper is a Cashmillon number from M&S for £12 (or 2 for £20 sometimes. Get me, don't I know my M&S offers!!!!) and Primark jeans for £10.

Before I sign off, there' s a story behind the Primark jeans. When I first wore them my husband asked whether they were leather. And I just thought to myself how amazing, given the price of leather trousers, that he asked about them in such a nonchalant way. The thought that I could have got away with buying a pair of leather trousers without prior discussion, or consultation, made me wonder what I really could get away with on the clothes purchasing front. Not that I ever would of course....