Bright Young Things - Pieces to brighten up your Wardrobe (and a dull day)!

It was such a dull and rainy day today that I wanted to show you some brighter pieces. I've tried to keep them fairly plain so, surprisingly for me, there isn't any brocade, camouflage or leopard print, and there aren't any spots or sequins in sight - OK so there are a few stripes and some winter florals - but I allowed them to sneak into this post because they are cheery.  I'm not going to say a lot about each piece (famous last words). Instead they can do the talking!

If you have some trousers, a pencil skirt or a blazer in black, grey or navy which needs a "pick me up", this Cara silk vest top from Whistles (reduced to £30 in the sale) could just be it.

A simple style in a fantastic colour, the Elfin shift dress from Topshop (£42) would look great with a statement necklace and sparkly heels, or for work with a black patent, or leopard print, belt and black heels.

This cable zip back jumper from Warehouse (£42) would do me, my jeans and my ankle boots just fine on a cold winter's day, thank you very much!

Oh how I love this striped sweater from Ted Baker (£99) - apart from the price. But it's definitely one that's on my sale list. I would wear this come rain or shine....

This box pleated skirt from Cos £59 is just a little bit different from lots of things on the high street. "Technical" fabric, great colour, good length and some (but not too much) volume. I would wear it with high, high, heels and a pretty sweater with sparkles on.

In need of something to up the style stakes of your LBD? There's no need for the Fairy Godmother's magic wand, these Cinderella Slipper style courts from Topshop (£60) will make a real style statement. At the other end of the spectrum, wear them with boyfriend jeans and a denim shirt.

For anyone after a dress with sleeves, a good length and some figure flattering ruching, the Opus Dress by Damsel in a dress at John Lewis (£119) could be just what you are after. The colour is fabulous and a great change from black.

Take these Oil painting trousers from Ted Baker (£109) add in the Topshop pink shoes above, a simple top and black blazer and you have the perfect outfit for an evening out.

I saw this fuschia moto jacket in GAP (£69.95) for the first time today. It's bright. Very bright. But lovely!

This Tinna Velvet dress from Ted Baker (£149) is so beautiful you will just want to stroke it. Don't be put off by the length shown on the model on the TB site - well unless you're 5ft 10" or more like she is. On the rest of us, it's a good length. The wider neckline and kick flared skirt do a great job of balancing hips and despite the drop waist, it's still fitted. I'm really feeling the love for this dress!

The Ella skirt by Hobbs (reduced to £62 from £89) would be a great addition to a winter work wardrobe in the run up to Christmas. The A-line shape is uber flattering and with a fitted black top, black opaques and heels it could look knock out.

As you know, I love a bit of colour. Hopefully this will spur you on to have a little play (or buy) and see what cheery combinations you can come up with on a rainy day.

The miracle "bottom shrinking" trousers from Whistles

I wanted to tell you about the Ella Panel Trousers from Whistles (reduced to £40 from £85) because they were a bit of find. There's nothing unusual about them really - navy blue, biker style with detailing at the knees and zips at the ankles. However they do make a good alternative to jeans and what I really like about them is the panelling on them. They have a decent rise on them too which is never a bad thing.

In simple terms, the panelling makes the hips/bottom look narrower than they are - which is great, particularly if you spend a lot of time walking into rooms backwards. As to the magical bottom shrinking capabilities of these trousers, the reason for it (I did have a photograph taken of myself in the trousers to demonstrate the point but it was so horrific that I quickly removed myself from the photograph) is that there are fairly wide, but subtle, panels up the sides of the trousers. These go around to the back of the trouser so that, as shown in the picture below, the distance (in width) from the back mid-line of the trouser, to the outside seam, is much less than usual (probably by a couple of inches on each side) making the hips look narrower. It's a bit hard to explain but hopefully you'll get the idea.

If like me you like a half way trouser - not too smart but smarter than jeans - these are definitely worth taking a look at. As to the photos - personally I like the blurred look, it's so much softer than HD - but it wasn't intentional - just a five year old with a wobbly hand! I'm also wearing my current favourite Topshop pale blue jumper, a French Connection printed scarf and Zara boots.

An All Saints Cocoon shaped coat (with wellies)?!

Here's a first peek at a Cocoon style coat which I bought from All Saints back in the summer.  I immediately loved it for its shape, weight, quality and the two rows of buttons. The fact that it was reduced from £295 to £87.50 didn't pass me by unnoticed!

 

I admit that the rest of the outfit that I was wearing to the school fireworks may not have played to its strengths and it should have perhaps have had its first outing with some leopard print heels instead of some leopard print mittens. However, the great thing about this shaped coat is that you can layer LOADS of jumpers underneath it, so I was toasty warm on a chilly night. One day soon I'll style it up with something other than wellies!

The rest of the outfit was made up of: Jigsaw hat, pale blue cashmere scarf, Whistles trousers, Joules wellies, Miss Selfridge mittens.

The shifting shape of shift dresses...quite possibly working in our favour. Are you listening sticky out tums?!

There was a time when shift dresses tend to be fitted, particularly at the waist, but in the last few seasons, as with lots of clothing, they have become looser and less structured. They don't always look that much on the hanger (and I'm not saying that they look any better on me) but their looser shape can have certain advantages in the tummy region!

Unsurprisingly (Hello Mrs Predictable) this flouro animal print shift dress from Warehouse (£50) jumped out at me as I walked past the shop the other day. Whilst initially quite fitted on the arms, as the fabric warmed up and loosened slightly, it was fine - so just bear that in mind if trying one on.

Hasty snaps with bad shadows and poor light taken at the end of a long day aren't always a good idea. These are more akin to a dodgy Hugh Grant shot taken by the LAPD for even dodgier shenanigans with ladies of the night in the back of cars - but you get the gist and if not, the shot of the model should help with that. Heels would be preferable but with a day in town ahead of me yesterday morning, they weren't really an option so instead I wore navy patent Hobbs loafers.

 

For a couple of other alternatives, Whistles has this sculptured dress (£65 in the sale, reduced from £120) which also comes in a coral colour, with elbow length sleeves, but that's still full price. I like the scooped neckline and the curved seams at the front.

There's also this Crepe Tee Shift Dress from Topshop £85 which comes in eight colours, some of which are also in the petite and maternity ranges.

Whilst I'm not particularly loving either of the model looks, they give an idea of the shape and length of the dresses, how easy they would be to wear either dressed up or at the weekend. Great to throw on with a necklace, heels and leather jacket, or with a long chunky cardi and boots for a casual look. The shifting shapes of shifts are quite possibly to our advantage!

Wearing Topshop spotty trousers and an & Other Stories quilted jumper for a smart(ish)/casual outfit

Many of you will recognise these Topshop spotted trousers which I have had for a couple of years now. For their first outing this winter, I wore them with this cropped quilted jumper from & Other Stories which I bought on my last trip to London. It's fabulously warm and the quilting on the back of the front (if that makes sense) effectively adds in another layer.

 

Being cropped, the jumper does need to be worn with something with a reasonably high waist. I layered a white shirt underneath it, just to lift everything a little and break up the blue.

 

Take a peek below to see some other quilted pieces available at the moment. I have seen all of them in real life and would happily wear any of them! For anyone wanting any guidance, I think that the Warehouse bomber style jacket is a nice introduction to quilting as it would slide fairly seamlessly into a wardrobe which already had some jeans and boots in it, plus a few brighter coloured tops.

 

& Other Stories cropped jumper £55

 

Hobbs quilted skirt £89

 

Whistles Quilted Parka £175

 

Whistles Grid Jacquard dress £135

 

Warehouse Quilted Bomber Jacket (£48)

Let's tackle a very un-sexy subject head on (or rather feet on) - bunions!

Today's post is about one of the least sexiest topics ever - and no I'm not talking Tena Lady - but I'm going to embrace it anyway - bunions! Well, if they're good enough for Victoria Beckham, they're good enough for the rest of us. Only today I saw a picture of Mrs B in Grazia wearing a pair of shoes through which you could clearly see the outline of her bunions.

Most of my clients have foot problems of one kind or another, with many of them having developed bunions, or at least the first sign of them. Contrary to popular belief, they aren't necessarily caused by wearing inappropriately fitting, or high, shoes but rather they are thought to be hereditary (something else for which to thank your parents!) As yet there is still a relatively long recovery period from an operation to remove them, so many women suffer for many years before having any kind of surgery.

Just today one of my clients said that the thought of wearing her high LK Bennett shoes brought tears to her eyes, although that was more down to an ankle injury she sustained as a result of some over exuberant dancing one night. It's also fair to say that women suffer with painful feet because of back or ankle problems and the thought of going to a wedding, with all that standing, is enough to bring some out in a cold sweat.

The real problem lies, in all but the most severe of cases, not in finding comfortable footwear - there's a whole host of orthopaedic looking shoes on the market - but rather in finding stylish footwear. I have concluded that if there is one thing that is most lacking on the High Street, it is footwear that can accommodate a swollen big toe joint. If I were to design a range of anything, that would be it!

So here are some things that might help to ease the discomfort:

• It sounds obvious but give your feet a rest from shoes which aggravate the condition as much as possible, so that when it counts you can dig out those heels without suffering too badly. On holiday, behind closed doors, when driving, in fact any time when you don't need to wear such shoes, give them a hugely wide berth. Keep a pair of heels in your bag/desk drawer/in the car and whip them on at the last moment and off at the first;

• Opt for trainers, converse, ballet flats, smoking slippers or anything else that is comfortable. Right now trainers are definitely having a "moment" and there are some fantastic ones from which to choose. No longer are they just worn to the gym but also with skirts, brocade trousers and sequins; 

Nike Future Run from JD Sports (£55)

• Heeled boots which fit snugly around the ankle, thereby keeping the foot secure, are a good option as they allow you to go up a half, or even a whole, size providing extra room to accommodate any swelling or dis-figurement. Wedge trainers are also good for this as they fit the ankle snugly so there's no chance of walking out of them - unlike traditionally styled shoes;

Wide heel ankle boot Zara (£75) (all sizes now available)

 

Ash wedge trainers, £96.25 from the Outnet

• Shoes made from man made fabrics can be softer on inflamed areas. I particularly like these Zara sparkly shoes (£49.99) which are made of 100% polyester. Whilst arguably £49.99 is a lot to pay for non-leather shoes, to some, just like smarties - they are the answer! The heel height is reasonable on these shoes too.

• A slight platform in a shoe will serve to lessen the height of a heel and a wedge heel prevents the foot being from at such a steep angle, a block heel also offers more stability - so all of these should help with any niggles;

• Look to brands who have made efforts to create comfortable ranges of shoes. Hotter has developed a range of soft shoes with plenty of cushioning, with a couple of styles at least being very wearable. I like these Admire heels (£85) which come in a variety of colour ways:

• Marks and Spencer has its Footglove range and its Insolia range, whilst Clarks is probably at the forefront in terms of style and comfort with its shoes coming in various width fitting, half sizes and with added padding under the ball of the foot.

I really hope that this helps anyone suffering from painful feet but who still wants to be a stylish chick!

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.