On the Run - Shots of pieces I found on my shopping trip today...

I want to say a big "thank you" to everyone who asked me how I was after yesterday's post - it was really kind of you all and I am pleased to report that I am back on form.

I started my day today by styling a lovely lady for a wedding she is attending. I had put all my eggs in one basket - largely because there weren't any other decent baskets into which to put any other eggs, but it all worked out well, which was a relief.

I then went on to shop for an event that I am doing tomorrow night in the centre of Birmingham. Here's a snapshot of the pieces that I bought. I am really looking forward to it as I will be covering all sorts of things - 10 classic pieces with 10 on trend alternatives, how to style one dress several different ways, the eternal problem of jeans, showing how certain pieces do a great styling job, 10 key pieces for the season.....I will try and bring you some more pics tomorrow.

On my whizz around Birmingham I also took a few snaps of things that I liked - even though I wouldn't necessarily wear them myself -such as these paisley shorts in Oasis. Paisley has had a huge revival - a great alternative to florals these will look amazing on the right person - which as I say isn't me!

This was the view that greeted me on walking into Oasis - I just thought that it was so pretty and colourful with these 1950's inspired dresses - a really nice contrast to the dull day outside.

In contrast, this was the rail in Cos, which also made an impact because of its simplicity. They have released five of their best selling white shirts in celebration of the fact that they have been in existence for five years. If you look closely you can see the tags on shirts 1 and 5.

I saw this dres in Betty Jackson Black and liked the flattering style of the v-neck, the draping and the print - all of which are good for curvier ladies.

A sucker for a smart coat to wear to a wedding, I also photographed this navy coat at Betty Jackson. I like the idea of wearing a smart coat for the wedding part of the ceremony with more of a party dress for the evening do.  The three quarter length sleeve is flattering, as is the lack of fuss at the neckline and the tie waist.

I also bought a stack of Topshop jeans so I hope to bring you another jeans post tomorrow, or over the next couple of days, together with some outfits from the event.

I have learnt two things today from our children:  From our eldest, that the word "studying" has the word "dying" in it.  Think that shows how she feels about exams right now.  From our youngest: That you shouldn't wear too many clothes as you can't scratch your bottom.  Right. Fab.

On the Run - The way I look today I shouldn't really have posted but....

I probably shouldn't have posted a picture today as I look so dreadful and it's enough to put anyone off anything!

I have been suffering from migraines over the past few days and feel the same as I look - totally washed out.  A good friend of mine was very lovely today though, describing me as pale but in a porcelain type of way, as opposed to my daughter's comment the other day that I matched my mac - sort of biscuit coloured and a bit yellow.  She was right though. That brings a whole new meaning to matchy matchy!

Anyway, to be honest there was very little thought about my outfit today because I was just concerned with being comfortable.  All that I can say is that today's outfit is the same colour scheme as yesterday's but obviously much more casual and it had stripes instead of spots.  I do like coral and navy together - it's an all year round colour combination that just seems to work.

Anyway, don't let it be said that I only bring you photos of when things are going well!

We did however manage to catch up on Doctors from yesterday in which our house was featured. There really is something quite freaky about seeing a room on TV which you are actually sitting in at the time of watching. Later on we also made it to see a production of the Tiger Who Came for Tea. Pretending to be a Tiger was great fun not least of all because it caused maximum embarrassment to our ten year old son (who was embarrassed enough at having to be there in the first place.) So looking on the bright side, the day wasn't all bad!

Today I am wearing

An odd coloured face, H&M striped jumper dress, Gap skinny jeans, Jigsaw shoe boots, Cocinnelle bag

On the Run - In a spotty dress as seen in Red Magazine

Today I was up in Cheshire and because the occasion demanded that I dress up a little, I wore this spotty Hobbs dress which I bought a while ago.  To brighten it up a little I put it with a skinny pinky red belt.  I also carried my newly found tote which I haven't been parted from since it was re-discovered in my husband's Wardrobe. I have no idea what it was doing there - it's not as if I have pinched at least a half of his Wardrobe for my clothes or anything.

 

As this is quite a pretty dress, with its ties at the bottom of the sleeves, at the neck and with the frill around the bottom,  I chose my shoe boots to stop it from looking either too girly, or too dated.  Before I left the house, I asked my husband to choose which shoes he preferred.  He looked at them and said that they looked great - so great he hadn't even realised that I had different shoes on different feet.

Here's a closer picture of the belt which was also from Hobbs - please forgive the fact that I have not positioned it to cover the seam on the dress. You can also see the frill at the bottom of the dress which was given a name by Grazia the other week - it was a play on "peplum" and could have been pep-hem, or hemplum or something like that. Apparently they are the height of cool at the moment which, as you can imagine, is obviously why I bought the dress in the first place.

This is the same dress that was also featured in this month's edition of Red Magazine - it's on page 30 and they show you how to style it four different ways. I like their ideas but I think I'll probably make my own ideas up as I go along.

On Saturday I said that I was going to make another three tiered chocolate cake with our son - well here was the result.  As you can imagine, it doesn't look much like this now.

I was gutted to have missed today's episode of the TV series Doctors as our house featured in it, as do many of the houses around here.  I did catch a clip of it at the end of Friday's episode though. Seeing a man standing on our doorstep dressed up as a woman was something again. I fear that this may be as interesting a story line as some of the others which have included a murder, STDs, extra-marital affairs - you name it, it all goes on behind the pink front door!

Today's outfit: Hobbs dress and belt, Jigsaw shoe boots, Coccinelle bag

Sunday Best - A lovely curvy lady in a Boden Tunic

For Today's Sunday Best, I am bringing you Kathy, a lovely lady who sent this photograph of herself through to me in response to my request for photographs of curvier ladies. 

Kathy has styled herself in this Boden tunic which is a great shape for her figure.  The v-neck is very flattering to her, as is the contrasting band which also runs under the bust, highlighting the narrowest part of her body. The vibrant print keeps the eye on the move and the sleeve is flattering to her too. 

Kathy asked me whether I thought that the tunic was too short for her and also whether her tights and boots were too heavy.  Kathy works hard to stay fit and she is well toned so I thought that the length of her dress was fine on her and her opaque tights too are flattering. 

My only suggestion to Kathy was that  she may also like to try a shoe instead of a boot because not only would they give a different look but they would provide a more stream-lined look.  The top of a boot cutting horizontally across the leg can just interfere slightly with the look so experimenting is always worth while.

Many, many thanks to Kathy for sending her picture to me and also to her husband for taking her photograph - I am very grateful and I am sure that others will be too.

So how did I end up buying an Hermes scarf today?

Today it was the Buy My Wardrobe event in Birmingham and what a day it was! There was a veritable feast of pre-loved items on sale, champagne flowing, cream teas and cupcakes available - what more could a girl want?!

Thanks to Kal at Buy My Wardrobe for inviting me on board, to Faith from Faith in PR for doing an amazing job on the PR side (never underestimate how hard PR people work!) and to all the other lovely ladies I met today.  It was great to meet Lucy who writes the blog Suburban Style http://www.thesuburbanstyle.com/2012/04/off-leash.htmlSuburban and also Lula Belle from the blog Glamour in the County http://glamourinthecounty.blogspot.co.uk/ - I had a great time.

So, here I am sporting a Mulberry bag which was for sale at the event.  It didn't quite have my name on it but it nearly did.

Here I am sitting like a gnome amongst the shoes which were available today - totally gorgeous and drool worthy! (The shoes that is, not me. Although I must confess I have been drooled over in the past and it's not a pleasant experience.)

Here's a hairdresser from Umberton Giannini doing some up-do's...

and mouth watering and bite sized (dangerous) cupcakes in a variety of different flavours....

with this beauty available to win, which reminds me I must follow up that particular line of enquiry.

And here is one of those iconic orange boxes which contains...

this beautiful scarf, which is now mine! It didn't start out that way.  I was just photographing the scarf to put on Style Guile when that naughty feeling crept over me and I thought that if I did some creative accounting, I could perhaps own it.  After all, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, an heirloom for the girls and with shoes all over it, some of them pink, this DID have my name on it!

Thank you to Julie from Very Boutique for this beauty.  You can find Julie at http://www.veryboutique.co.uk/

I forgot to ask anyone to take a photo before leaving this morning and when I arrived home everyone was out, hence the self photography (if there is such a word!)

Here's a closer shot of the top half of my outfit - Zara jacket, Topshop sparkly top, Jigsaw necklace and on the bottom half I wore Cos navy trousers and Hobbs shoes.

And now I am home my son and I are just embarking on another three tiered chocolate cake.  Yum!

Oh and by the way, for anyone who happens to live near enough to Dublin to pay it a visit, there is an Orla Kiely sample sale on from Wednesday 25th to Sunday 29th April - not that I'm weeping into my hanky or anything.

Mum on the Run - Showing you the different rise on 7 different pairs of jeans

Today's post is slightly different but hopefully one which you will find useful.  Lots of you have been discussing jeans and in particular high waisted vs low waisted.  So, I thought that I would show you the different "rise" on some of the jeans that I own, with guidance as to comfort. 

To be meaningful, I needed to mark my tummy button which I did with a series of stickers provided by our youngest - the real thing is not a pretty sight after three babies! Obviously my proportions will not be the same as everyone else's but real jeans on a real body should go some way to acting as a guide for you. 

Proportionately I do have fairly generous thighs in so far as my top half is very neat in comparison.  Even though I have friends who are much larger than me, their legs are slimmer and I quite often have to reject trousers on the basis that they can't accommodate me - not so with the brands detailed below.  I thought that I would highlight this, should it also be an issue for you.

So, here goes!

1. High Waisted Skinny Jeans from GAP

So, this is the first pair, the high waisted skinny jeans from GAP. Sorry, I forgot to do a close up shot but I think that you can get the gist from the above photo. I found that I needed to go up a size in these. I love the high rise and they are currently my most comfortable jeans.

2. Real straight jeans from GAP

Clearly these sit lower. Being a straight jean they are less tight than a skinny fit and a good compromise between a skinny jean and a boot cut.

3. Cos skinny grey jeans

Probably marginally higher than the straight leg GAP jeans but still fairly high waisted and very comfortable too.

4. Teal Warehouse Skinny Jeans

These are surprisingly high waisted for Warehouse jeans and I find them really comfortable. 

5. River Island Pale Green Skinnies

Probably the lowest of all of the jeans so far, but really still not that low compared to many of the jeans out there. 

6. Mango Martha Flares

These are fairly low waisted but they are still high enough so that if I bend over, there's nothing on show that I wouldn't want to be on show. 

7. GAP long and lean

The length of these jeans requires a lower heel but I kept the high ones on for the sake of consistency.  These are now probably my least favourite - I used to love them but I think that I have got used to the higher waist on the GAP high rise skinnies and the Cos grey ones too.

So, low rise vs high rise?  I have to say that I am of the high rise persuasion.  I like the support and comfort that they offer but then I am a girl who likes to wear a vest tucked in too!

It's a case of each to their own with jeans in terms of style and cost.  Some ladies love to invest in more expensive brands, others don't either feel the need and/or have the budget to do so.

There are lots of other brands and styles that I would like to feature - some of the Topshop ones are great (Jamie skinny are high waisted), their Leigh style, which are slightly more jegging like.  I would also like to show you some of the Boden styles, which are fairly high waisted and they do a wide leg style too.  Oasis Scarlett are great for those who get that gaping going on at the back and the Hobbs bootleg fit lots of shapes - but they are a bit short in the leg if over about 5ft 5".

If you like what you see, let me know and I will do another post with different brands.  I am open to suggestions! 

After all the above photos had been taken, our youngest wanted to get in on the act and take some - so this is what she saw, poor child!

Mum on the Run - Time for a Bicester purchase to get its first outing

As I mentioned yesterday, I was on the Radio today talking about the Buy My Wardrobe event on Saturday.  The funniest part was when I returned home, only to find that our youngest had been running round the kitchen going "Mummy, Mummy," when she heard me and then wondering why I didn't respond to her request that I bring some chocolate home for her.

The aim of today's outfit really was to provide an opportunity to wear in the shoes that I bought from Hobbs at Bicester on Saturday.  Driving to the Radio studio, walking to it and then around a couple of shops in the same complex allowed me to do that - and they were fine.

So, having decided on the shoes it was a case of building the outfit around them.  I had seven pairs of jeans on the bed (the purpose of which will be revealed in tomorrow's post) so I picked one of them and stuck them with the shirt that I already had on (also for the purposes of tomorrow's post)....

I then added the scarf that I had on yesterday, just because it was handy, a leopard print belt and a navy blazer.

These are the Hobbs shoes that I bought from Bicester.  They are from the NW3 range and they were reduced from £179 to £34, which is a proper saving in my book. I also loved the yellow ones (as shown on Saturday's post) but the yellow ones didn't love me! This style of shoe is great for me at this time of year -  covered enough not to be too summery but uncovered enough not to be too wintery.  The chunky heel is very sturdy and the platform detracts from their height, so they are actually very comfortable to wear.

Here is a photo of the totes (shopping bags?!) that LK Bennett have in stock this season.  I happened to spot them when in there looking for some shoes and a bag for a client of mine who has two weddings to go to in one day.  Lovely colours aren't they?

I too had an umbrella dilemma today, just as our eldest did yesterday. However my choice was between Peppa Pig, Pirates of the Carribbean and Jaqueline Wilson. The pirates one won until the youngest couldn't get up the hill on her scooter at which point I used it to pull her instead.  I know I am always going on about it, but versatility is what I like in an item - whatever it may be!

Mum on the Run - A Breton top, blue accessories and an abandoned picnic

It was about mid-day before I got dressed today and I just couldn't get it together. I had been up since 7.30am and you know how it is once you start on the chores - it's just so difficult to find that gap to go and get showered and sorted.

Like yesterday, I knew that we were likely to be out and about at the local park/cinema/doing bits and bobs etc so having worn the pink brogues yesterday, and given that I am trying to avoid boots and my converse are all looking a bit shabby, today it was the turn of the Hobbs loafers. I am still wearing them in so being able to add dark socks (of the knee high variety - so chic!) helped with that task. 

 

So, this is how it started out - jeans and a breton top.  There's always lots of talk at this time of year about Breton tops and this one is from Jigsaw in a sort of cornflower blue stripe. I also have the navy one and have my eye on the pink one.  They must be about three years old now but still standing the test of time.  I like the fact that they are fitted but not too tight (my Gap ones are much more fitted). I have pulled it down to show you the length.

After that I added my cable knit jumper, which I thought I had put away for the summer but it was fairly chilly and having agreed to a picnic, I knew that to keep me from being an old misery pants, I would have to wrap up warm. 

By this time I had just made a picnic and what happened?  Predictably the heavens opened so we abandoned that plan and had our picnic in the conservatory instead.

I also added a new Lola Rose printed scarf which I bought from John Lewis on our trip there last week (further pic below) and my super padded Jigsaw parka which I can't pretend I have ever really liked but it does a great job and the addition of the scarf and bag breaks it all up.

 I love this picture because I look like I have the freakiest legs in the world. Funny how yesterday it worked and today it didn't.  Today's photographer was taller so maybe that's it! Anyhow, here are the Hobbs brogues, which liked because a) they were navy, b) they were patent c) they came in a half size d) they are fairly covered.

Here is a closer picture of the Lola Rose scarf that I was wearing....

and my H&M ring - which one of the children thinks looks like an eyeball.  Lovely!

Our eldest had a tough choice to make when we finally made it out today in the rain.  Did she let her new Jack Wills gilet get wet or did she use her sister's Peppa umbrella to protect it. She opted for the Peppa umbrella.  I quite liked the juxtaposition of Peppa and Jack Wills - not sure JW would though, I don't suppose that it is a look they are really after.

I have been invited on BBC Radio WM tomorrow to talk about the Buy My Wardrobe event.  I am currently trying to find somewhere to park the four year old for an hour because I can't imagine that a radio studio and little Miss Chatterbox are likely to be a match made in heaven!