Let's have a little Monday night cud chewing over long cardis and coated jeans...

There's something about a long cardi in the winter that puts the world to rights. The only thing is that knitwear can be uber expensive and that brings a whole lot of different issues - the need to wear it a lot to get the cost per wear down, which can result in bobbling, which can result in a lot of combing/washing to sort it out, which can result in it wearing out quickly - and before you know it, that expensive cardi lasted only a season. (Or alternatively you don't wear it at all for fear of the above so the expensive cardi sits in the wardrobe.) I know that there all the handwash/dry it flat/wool responds well to washing arguments but sometimes there just isn't the time in the day for that, so I have found that the answer is to buy a cheaper version.  In fact, a little bit of acrylic mixed in with the wool (or in this case vice versa) is not always such a bad thing.

I recently bought the Next stitch cardi, which at £35 wasn't too bad. In terms of styling, I like a long cardi to be long, rather than finishing right slap bang across the widest part of the thigh, like a big horizon with arrows on it pointing to them.

I also like a bit of femininity within an outfit, however casual or basic the pieces are, so I put a Topshop printed blouse under the cardi, in the same colour tones.

I was talking to a friend from Brighton the other day and we always have a little clothes chat as part of our conversation. "Bethy G," she said "What tips can you give me for what to wear this season?" Having discussed the boots/parka/Topshop being great for jumpers issue and bearing in mind that she has two young boys and a dog, I pointed her in the direction of coated jeans. They are a good alternative to jeans, a little push at the boundaries without knocking the fence right over, and more importantly with two children and a (slightly slobbery) dog, you can give them a bit of a wipe over and no one is any the wiser.

The ones that I am wearing were bought from Primark for £10 last winter and I've definitely had my wear out of them. In addition to the cardi which I have featured below, I've also included a couple of options for coated jeans.

Next stitch cardi (£35), which also comes in an oatmeal colour.

GAP coated biker legging jeans (£32.99 to £42.99)

NEXT coated skinny jeans (£36) which come in several colours.

 

If you're tempted to give them a go, do let me know how you get on!

Sunday sequins and sparkles

With winter on its way and no doubt with some suffering from that "Sunday night feeling" I thought that I would bring you something jolly and happy - hence the sequins and sparkles. A comment was left on Style Guile the other day by a lady called Laura, who said that she and her daughter (7) quite often had "sequin Sundays" to brighten up their days.

First of all a word about sequins and sparkles. I would say that the vast majority of women with whom I work - at least 85% - love to wear sequins or sparkles. For those who don't, sorry! My aim isn't to try and convert anyone, just to give hints and tips on how to wear them for anyone who already does, or for anyone who would like to, but isn't sure how to go about it.

To me, sequins and sparkles incorporate everything from lurex, to studs, to sequins, whether shiny or matt - in fact, anything a magpie might pilfer. Here I've picked a few of my favourite items and I've also said a word about why....

This Lurex Pencil skirt Topshop (£38) is a good place to start for anyone after a sparkly skirt. The "healthy" length on it (the model on the Topshop site is 5ft 10" and it comes to just above her knee) negates any feeling of having too much on display. The dark background is also slimming and not too "shouty".

These shoes are my current favourites - I love them! The block heel is a major trend for this season which is great because it's actually really practical - and trends and practicality aren't necessarily something that normally go hand in hand. These Juniper glitter mid heels Topshop (£48) also come in bright pink and black. They also come in a metallic, as opposed to a sparkle, finish in three colour ways. Wearing a little sparkle on your shoes and not only that but the back of your shoes, is probably one of the most gentle introductions you could get to sparkle.

The Annie sparkle crew Whistles (£65) is also a very subtle way to wear sparkle. It's a lovely style jumper, easy to wear, not to challenging on the sparkle front and as well as aubergine, it comes in black, navy, khaki, ivory and teal.

For something a little more full on, there's the Nell all over sequin top Whistles (£30). I have this top and I love it. It's quite oversized and a little slouchy so good with fitted bottoms, whereas the jumper above is quite fitted. I have to say it's also a great price - much better than the one I paid for it! Obviously sizes are limited but it's a great one to have in your Christmas wardrobe.

I love this delicate mini studs hem blouse from Mango (£34.99). Subtle in its sparkle and with a flattering scoop neck and full length sleeve, it's a great shape for many. 

I like the Crystal stud jumper from Topshop (£46) for the fact that the sparkle is confined to one area, which may hold more appeal to some than a full on sequinfest. I've shown the pale pink and grey marl below but it also comes in charcoal and aubergine too, and also in the petite and tall ranges.

 

This sequin sleeve blazer from Mango (£69.99) s a little more full on on the sequin front but not too much so. It could give a real kick up the whatsit to those older black trousers/jeans/pencil skirts languishing at the back of our wardrobes being lazy, thinking that they have worked hard for enough for us. Not so fast lazy pieces, the party's over - you've got more work to do.

Now these velvet sequinned leggings (£29.99) from Mango are for you hardcore sequin wearers out there. Or, they could be perfect for those who like to embrace something head on, even if it is for the first time. Let's not bother with the gentle introduction of a sequinned sleeve, a lurex skirt, or a necklace jumper - let's just go for the big guns. Yep, liking the sound of that - who's up for it?!

Finally there's the Naomi sequin cocktail dress from Whistles (£250). Predictably they have quite a selection of sequin pieces but I like this one not so much for the price (in fact I don't like it for that at all) as for the fact that it is dark green, which is quite unusual. I also like the shaping on it which gives us the illusion of curves in all the right places even if in real life they are a little further north (or more likely south) than we may like. A little poetic licence is fine and if sequins can do the job for us, even better.

I could go on - Warehouse has some great pieces and French Connection is the queen of sequins on the High Street, particularly as we get closer to Christmas - but for me it's less about where it's from and more about whether it's in your comfort zone of sequins and sparkles.

Working the grunge look...

Inside grunge...

 

 

Outside grunge...

 

Here I'm working the grunge look, in a way which I find wearable. Actually that's a total lie - I'm just wearing a selection of clothes which happen to fit into the grunge look, as defined this time around!

 

I'm wearing grey Cos skinny jeans (I love Cos jeans for their in between sizes and slightly higher rise - definitely worth checking out for anyone who finds it tricky to get jeans to fit because they are in between sizes - see similar here), Seven Boot Lane boots , Cos pink top, Jack Wills plaid shirt (for a good selection look here, some are in the sale) Zara parka (similar here in navy or cream) and a Radley bag. I bought the bag as a nappy bag when I had our son, so it's 12 years old now but still going strong. Whenever I look at it I think "Wow, that's a great piece of cow" because it is just a fabulous piece of leather and it still smells great too.

Daytime navy sequins and a chunky knit

As a consequence of totally ruining our holiday this half term, I have given myself a series of "punishment jobs".  So far they have included tidying out cupboards, sorting out under the stairs, securing some loose curtain hooks, attacking the ironing pile and sewing the hem on this skirt although, as our eldest pointed out, sewing the hem on your own skirt can't really be classed as a "punishment job".

 

A few days ago I commented how when I first buy something, I often wear it to death before giving it a rest. This navy Cos roll neck jumper was one such piece this time last year. It's really versatile and goes with everything but even I reached the point where I needed a change. 

The sequinned skirt I bought in the Coast sale, probably three winters ago now. I know for a fact that it sat waiting for the hem to be sewn all last winter, which meant that I didn't wear it at all - so it's nice to resurrect it again.

In truth I'm probably more likely to wear  this skirt it in the daytime rather than in the  evening, as bizarrely I would feel too dressed up in it in the evening. Others of course will feel completely the opposite and wouldn't dream of wearing sequins in the day - but I like a bit of daytime "sequinnage" whether on shoes, a top, skirt, jumper or dress - they just lighten the day. Keeping the outfit simple and just using one or two colours makes wearing sequins in the daytime a little more accessible - just in case anyone fancies giving them a try.

The positives that we can take away from outfit misses (and an example to illustrate the point)!

OK so just hear me out. I realise that this grey jacket would look better if it was black and that  it doesn't really go with the skirt that well but the problem that I have is this: Given that it's now 9pm, do I not post at all today and simply consign this outfit to the room 101 of "outfit misses", start a new post, or post it anyway and suffer the consequences?

 

Oh what the hec? I'm just going to go for it - there are always positives that can be taken from an outfit so let's make today's post all about taking the positives out of outfit misses.

 

First of all let me assure you that I am wearing something under this jacket and that I'm not semi naked underneath. It's just the angelic glow (!) I have about me which makes it look otherwise.

To set the scene, yesterday it was our son's birthday. In the afternoon we went to the climbing wall where I knew, having taken the decision not to climb, it would be freezing. That was to be followed by a quick car journey home and a walk both to, and from, Pizza Express which is probably only 20 mins in total but that's far enough away to have to give some thought about what to wear on your feet.

So, I needed to be warm, without too many bulky layers for the car and able to walk a reasonable distance. I didn't want to wear jeans either - just thought I ought to make an effort for the birthday boy.

I think that hits can be taken from the top half and from the bottom half - but not together. On the top half, the pale blue angora jumper from Topshop (pics and links below) is a current favourite of mine. It's warm, with a good sleeve length, pretty colour and it is quite short in length, so it sits nicely with the higher waistbands of pencil skirts.

The Whistles jacket is also really soft and warm - not stiff and boardy at all, so that too works for me on an individual level. I love the biker style too.

I love the print on the skirt - though I accept it's a bit of a marmite one - together with the length as it's not too short. If I want to wear a slight heel, boots are the best option for me so whilst there's always that trade off between boots cutting your legs off a bit, the heel height compensates for it and these Lotta Beccles boots from Clarks last year are really comfortable.

Topshop jacquard camo print pencil skirt £38

Topshop pale blue angora jumper £45

Whistles Annabel jacket £155 - grey not available on line

So, having taken away the positives, what would I do differently next time? Perhaps not getting photos taken of myself in an outfit would be a good start as then I could go about in blissful ignorance. I could buy a black version of the jacket to wear instead, except it doesn't exist, although temptingly the navy one does. Perhaps I would wear my cream leather jacket but that wouldn't be as warm, or a black Reiss wool biker jacket that I have but that's a bit stiff. Or perhaps I'd just think "Oh bugger it," wear the same again and not tell anyone. Yes, that's the positive I'm taking away from this particular outfit miss.

Outfit inspiration - Dusty pinks, blackberry and taupe colours

I really like seeing a casual outfit with colours from a  palette of navy, dark purple, dusty pink and taupe. In theory it shouldn't work but it does, especially if one of the colours is picked up twice in the outfit and also if the colours are pulled together in a scarf. That way the outfit looks intentional and deliberate, rather than a random selection of pieces.

I often find that women are slightly nervous of wearing colours that don't "go" which is a shame as it can make a wardrobe more limiting than it need be. I'm a big fan of mixing things up a little, wearing things with confidence and bringing everything together with a scarf. I also think that people are generally too wrapped up in themselves to really notice what others are wearing and if they had the time to tell someone else that their outfit didn't "go" - well, clearly they have too much time on their hands.

For one of the outfits at last week's event in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, I started with this Jigsaw dusty rose boat neck jumper John Lewis (£89)....

....then I added these Jigsaw bi-stretch jeans, available from John Lewis in navy and from the store in black currant (£110). These are a great jean style trouser and a style which Jigsaw repeats season after season. The bi-stretch makes them really comfortable and they have 5% elastane, for extra stretch.

The Mint Velvet waxed parka in dark blue from John Lewis (£169) added a practical touch to the outfit in terms of warmth and also because of the waxed finish. The draw string also nipped the coat in at the waist to give it some shape.

The size of the Modalu Pippa large handbag in dusk (£225) from John Lewis made it casual enough to wear with this outfit. Any smaller and it would have looked a little too work like. The colour picked up the colour in the Jigsaw jumper.

The Seven Boot Lane Abella in black (£175) worked well with the length of the jean. We left the jeans slightly scrunched up on the top of the boot for a more casual "undone" look, rather than tucking them in too neatly.

The outfit was accessorised using three different length necklaces from Helena Moss Designs. Layering smaller pieces together is a nice way to give smaller pieces more impact. Helena takes inspiration for her work from nature and here she has used fir cones and cardamom pods to create her pieces. Helena can be contacted about her designs at helenamossdesigns.co.uk

Finally I worked in the Whistles camouflage scarf, which again has the taupe colour in it. It seems to have been really popular this season, being sold out at John Lewis and Whistles - but you get the idea.

Mixing spots and stripes...

Mixing spots and stripes is a nice way of making an outfit more interesting whilst at the same time not making it too challenging.

 

You may have noticed that when I get something new that I really love, I wear it to death for the first few weeks and then give it a rest before resurrecting it. That's exactly what happened with this Boden cashmere jumper which I wore endlessly in Guernsey at the end of the summer (sadly now out of stock).

 

Today I layered it over a pink spotted shirt from GAP, jeans and Zara ankle boots £75 (now back in stock but only in sizes 3 and 7 - sorry).  It worked for our trip to the dentist (no children, you can't go on the holiday that we planned because I messed it up but you can go to the dentist instead), lunch out (success on a major scale for us as the eldest two held off from their current - and at times quite funny but I didn't say that - favourite game of insulting one another, right until the last minute) and trip to the supermarket with the eldest for Halloween treats.

Now, moving on slightly, in the Sunday Times Style Magazine yesterday, Laura Weir suggested that these boots that I am wearing above (picture below) would be perfect for a first class flight to Sydney. For anyone considering taking her advice I would say, on this occasion at least, please don't. The rest of her outfit suggestions were fine  - soft legging trousers, cotton T and cashmere jumper - but the boots? Heavens no!

The boots, whilst lovely and comfortable (once you've taken the cardboard inserts out) are not the easiest to get off, particularly if doing it in a hurry whilst at airport security, as I found out a couple of weeks ago.

Balancing on one leg, tugging at them, pulling your socks off and nearly falling over whilst at the front of a huge queue is not a good look. It also makes you a bit red, hot and sweaty too. Equally I'm not convinced that travelling for hours in fairly snug fitting boots around the ankles, or arriving in Sydney in them in the height of the summer would be such a good idea either. Having said that though, having never travelled first class I may be talking completely out of my ears - perhaps there are no queues and perhaps chairs are installed for anyone who has to remove their Zara boots in a hurry.

 

Earlier on I captured a moment of bliss in the life of our 5 year old. New Halloween outfit on, dolly by her side, pumpkin by her feet ready to carve, whilst watching a film on the ipad in a comfortable chair. Bliss!

 

Going out - A hot pink and floral outfit by Ted Baker and John Lewis, with jewellery by Alice Stewart

 

 

John Lewis own brand crew cashmere crew neck jumper in Cerise (£69)

Ted Baker Oil Painting Skirt (£129) from John Lewis

Ted Baker T clasp clutch (£99)

The above three pieces formed one of the outfits at last week's Lifestyle Event at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. As I mentioned previously, I felt that it was important to keep the top half of the outfits relatively plain, so that the jewellery could really stand out - hence the John Lewis cerise cashmere jumper.

I chose to use jewellery from the designer and jewellery maker Alice Stewart for this outfit as I felt that her pieces, which are inspired by nature, complemented the floral skirt really well. Equally, on another occasion, the prettiness of the skirt could be contrasted with jewellery with spikes or skulls!

I loved the print and the shape of the Ted Baker skirt, which is really flattering on, especially for those with curvier hips. It works best if any top that is worn with it is fairly short, stopping at the waist to show off the narrowest part on the body. It has a great length to it for those who don't like skirts which are too short. Ted Baker has used this print on trousers, sweatshirts, dresses and tops this season so if a skirt isn't your thing but the print is, there may be something else in the range for you.

The texture and colour of the bag are fabulous. It is bright pink, textured leather and comes in a variety of colours. It's availability online seems to be limited at both the John Lewis and the Ted Baker site but I picked up the one I used from John Lewis only last week, so there are obviously some still in the stores.

As I mentioned, the jewellery for this outfit came from Alice Stewart Jewellery whose work has appeared in Vogue. Her gold blossom ring, shown below, is £89.

Alice studied 3D design, specialising in silversmithing and jewellery at Loughborough University. Her inspiration comes mainly from the beauty of the English countryside and parts of her work are satin finished as well as highly polished, to give a two tonal effect which brings the pieces to life.

These butterfly ear-rings are a real favourite of mine. It's partly because that, whilst they are drop ear-rings, the hoop on them makes them more wearable for the daytime (in my little mind at least), as does the fact that they aren't heavily jewelled. Alice's butterfly earrings cost £80 and since the event she has taken several orders for these, which are proving to be really popular.

Alice designs jewellery that is both enchanting and sophisticated and which takes itself from casual wear to special occasions.  Alice's gold blossom bangle, shown below, is £150.

I hope that I have quoted the above prices correctly but please check Alice's site for up to date prices. I don't want to get myself into any more hot water right now!

A black GAP jersey dress, Whistles scarf and Seven Boot Lane boots (for a trip to Wales....and back)

The plan for our half term holiday was this: Go to Wales today, celebrate our son's birthday there on Tuesday, go for walks on the beach, light fires, carve pumpkins, bake cakes and come home on Thursday.

 

This is what actually happened: We went to Wales to day and, two hours later, we came back from Wales. Why? Because some numpty (me) mixed the dates up so that when we arrived, the people who had actually booked to stay in the house this week, had arrived. So, 300 miles and five hour later, we are now back home. I have a lot of humble pie to eat.

 

I thought that it would be a nice idea to have an every day jersey dress to wear at the weekend and so yesterday I bought this black dress from GAP, which was £24.95 in the sale.

 

Today I wore it casually but I plan on styling it in several different ways over the next few days. Here I wore it with a camo print scarf from Whistles, which is no longer available on either the Whistles, or the John Lewis site, though there may be some sneaky ones lurking in stores somewhere.

I also wore my new Abella boots from Seven Boot Lane and a smile which, oddly, I don't now seem to be wearing!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend - Wearing a Coast dress to a lovely event in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

When I was first invited to a meeting to discuss the "Jewellery Quarter Lifestyle Event" in the late Spring, I have to admit to being slightly in the dark. When those present at the meeting spoke about the "BID" I didn't know what they meant. Finally I plucked up the courage to ask and realised that "BID" stood for "Business Improvement District" and that the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham had one.

 

In an area which has a BID, certain qualifying businesses pay an amount of money to the BID and that money is used to market the area, to raise its profile and to improve its appearance and profile. In a nutshell, the aim of the event we were discussing was to raise the profile of the Jewellery Quarter to other sectors of the City.

 

Now - and forgive me for those not really interested but - I have lived in Birmingham for 18 years and although I know it pretty well, I have never really paid the Jewellery Quarter much interest but oh my goodness, the talent there is incredible and I will never buy jewellery from anywhere else, ever again.

 

My role was to speak primarily with the jewellery designers and makers, to visit their premises, to take photos of their work and then (with the help of the lovely Partners at John Lewis Solihull who kindly let me have the use of their store and who lent the clothes to me for the event) to put the jewellery with various outfits for models to wear on the night. 

 

The talent within the Jewellery Quarter is unimaginable. From established jewellers working on commissions for people such as The Duchess of Cornwall, Fearne Cotton and Pixie Lott, to young women who are just starting out cutting beautiful pieces from leather and making 3D jewellery in silver and gold, to established jewellers  and gemmologists who make incredible contemporary pieces, I was blown away. Tucked away in studios no bigger than box rooms in old factories which have been divided up into units, and with room only for a computer, some machinery (and thank you cards) these amazingly talented jewellers find themselves in a catch 22 situation with not enough income for a shop but equally people don't know where to find them to buy their pieces to generate that income. So, that was the purpose of last night's event - to bring that talent to a wider audience. 

 

To set the scene, this shot was taken as people arrived at the event, which was held at the Birmingham School of Jewellery - the biggest school of jewellery in Europe. We had over 20 businesses exhibiting, about fifteen of whom were jewellers and the rest were made up of other businesses within the Jewellery Quarter. Several jewellers couldn't be present as they were collecting awards on the night, which was fantastic. 

 

I had it mind that the clothes should form a backdrop to the jewellery, which largely meant avoiding frills, print and fussy detail so that the jewellery could stand out against a background of silks, velvets, colour and texture.

I chose to wear a plain full length black Coast dress and I first wore a necklace by Glenn Campbell which I followed in the second half with drop earrings worn by Lauren-Elizabeth (no pic as yet - hope to find one from someone, somewhere!)

I found this picture on twitter which someone had taken whilst I was doing my bit!

 

This necklace by Glenn Campbell took three, eighteen hour days, to make and was made especially for an exhibition at Goldsmith's Hall called "Growing talent", the aim of which was to show the development of a group of talented young designer-makers.  For anyone interested, you can read more about it here.

 

Now that it is back in Birmingham Glenn is looking forward to exhibiting the piece here. The necklace is priced at £2700 and each individual link was shaped, flattened twice, then heavy paper was pressed into the link to give it the fine surface texture. Each link then had a hole punched into the top and was curled round and joined up. Here's a closer picture of the necklace, which was incredible to wear.

 

 

Over the next few days I hope to bring you the outfits, and the jewellery, that the two models were wearing . For some reason, which escapes me now, I forgot to ask someone to take a photo of each model before she came out, or else I would have had material for 12 blog posts at my fingertips *weeps*

 

We had an amazing team working on the event and hopefully the exhibitors will benefit from the event hugely, which we are planning on repeating in the Spring.

 

Here's a link to the Jewellery Quarter Bid and if anyone is planning on having any jewellery re-worked or commissioned, or if anyone is looking for an engagement, wedding or eternity ring - or if anyone just feels that they deserve a treat and want something special making - I would love to point you in the right direction. I need to do some shopping by proxy of I fear that things are going to get tricky at home!

Wearing a dress by the Fold London for an event in support of Action Cancer

Last week I was really privileged to be one of three guest speakers at a lunch at the Merchant hotel event in Belfast, which was held by Action Cancer and which was sponsored by BDO and the Bank of Ireland.

 

The charity, which doesn't receive any government funding, was celebrating its 40th year. It offers a fantastic service which includes a breast cancer screening service for women aged 40 and over - screening on the NHS starts at 50. 

 

Given that Action Cancer has been in existence for so long, I was intrigued as to why other countries hadn't followed in its footsteps, particularly given the accounts you hear of women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30's and even their 20's.  I realise that the density of breast tissue in younger women is an issue but the evidence clearly demonstrates that screening women at an age younger than 50 does result in the detection of breast cancer, so my intrigue remains....

 

The room looked incredible - so much hard work had gone into making everything look fantastic.

 

Shots taken during the event.... 

 

 

Thanks to Sue Wilty for taking the outfit photographs that day. Here I'm wearing the lace Camelot dress by The Fold London. It's not currently available in this finish but will soon be available in a lovely sparkly navy fabric.

This is a clearer shot of the dress but please excuse the scary eyes!

And look who's was wearing the same style dress, but in winter white, the day before - doesn't Holly look lovely?

 

 

   

   

The first shot included, left to right, Laura Jackson (BDO), me, Rachel Abbott (author and guest speaker), Sue Wilton (Director Roe Park Resort), Christine Boyle (MD of Lawell Asphalt and guest speaker), Maria McAllister (Bank of Ireland). Sadly Kerry Anderson, possibly the most stylish pregnant lady I have ever met, wasn't on the picture - she totally rocked a Zara sequinned dress!

 

Thank you to everyone who gave me such a warm welcome in Belfast. The chat and the laughter were fun and it made my first visit to Northern Ireland a fantastic one. Thank you!