A scarf (Accessorize), Spakles (GAP) and Spots (Topshop) - not all together but not far off!

 

Sorry for the radio silence. I've been whizzing around the country for a couple of days, working other days and we've also had the decorators in so sadly blogging has had to take a back seat. Oh but most exciting of all - how could I forget - today we booked tickets to go and see 1D in concert in October. Already we're hugely excited!  However despite all that's been going on, it doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about you all and wondering who needs what in the run up to Christmas.

For my trip away I took this shrunken (although to be honest I'm not sure what about it is shrunken, exactly) metallic sweater GAP (£44.95) but which I bought for £30. Last week a friend dropped by and she was wearing a lovely chunky navy jumper and a big scarf and given that the forecast was chilly I decided that it was a great combo for me. Obviously I don't own another chunky jumper, or indeed a navy sparkly one - but you know how it goes.

And I know that I'm extremely late to the blanket scarf party but I was waiting for the right one, which I found in Accessorize. I can't find it online - it must be me, sorry - but the bright colours were right up my street and it is so warm. There are stacks of them about from New Look to River Island, H&M and Topshop and if it's not somewhere that you've gone yet they are a great way of adding some colour and/or giving a new lease of life to a slightly tired coat.

This evening the eldest and I braved the Bullring. Oh crikey me. We had a great time together though and this caught my eye in Topshop (£85). Now, I have a particular friend who loves fur coats - in fact she loves coats of any description - and she loves spots. So I'm just waiting to see if she can resist it.

I'm not sure which shot is a better reflection of its actual colour - but both are pretty lovely. Worryingly I seem to be tempting myself now. So, moving swiftly on.....

This is as Christmassy as I have got yet. These lovely letters arrived today from the wooden letters company which was a great find online. They make a wide variety of different sized letters in varying fonts and finishes. It would be so easy to get carried away on there.

And I thought that I would share with you the new wallpaper on our bedroom wall. To my surprise the whole family loved it. When I said to Mr SG a few weeks ago that I thought we needed to do a bit of updating in the house, he just said "I tell you what, why don't you do what you like and let's see if I notice." I think he noticed.

I think that he's noticed the fish on the walls too. In fact I suspect that they may have been swimming around in front of his eyes last night - but it would be wholly unfair of me to say exactly why that may have been.....

Livto - the go to jewellery brand for personalised, hand made jewellery at a great price.

 

When I was styling the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter Lifestyle event, I came across the jewellery brand Livto which I immediately fell in love with.  

Not only do I like their jewellery but the Livto story is lovely too. It's amazing how many businesses start out with best friends from school getting together and making "their own rules" and it was the same with Kate and Gemma, the creators of Livto. Taking simple coins, they stamp words or phrases on them - there's a selection of twelve quotes, or it's possible to choose your own quote of 17 letters for £5 extra (different criteria apply to different items).  I love the fact that the business is made of only a tiny team and that everything is made by hand and individually wrapped by the girls.

 

I'm wearing the double rose gold necklace (£27.99) together with the tan leather bracelet (£20). Livto also make silver bangles which can be personalised and with Rose gold being so popular at the moment, this Rose gold bracelet (£25) is a real winner and makes a fab Christmas present.

There's a huge trend at the moment for personalised things - from monogrammed luggage, to notebooks with quotes on them, to gifts bearing your children's name or indeed your own name. There's something so special about receiving a personalised gift and the Livto jewellery is brilliantly priced.

In addition to Livto jewellery and the Mint Velvet top and Boden coated jeans that I'm wearing (neither of which seem to be available any more which is a bit rubbish!) I'm wearing  the Carter boots from the Reiss outlet (£95). I whipped them off the feet of my sister in law when she was here. Apparently she was after some Reiss boots and the staff in her local store directed her towards the Reiss outlet (online) which has a great selection of past season pieces at a reduced price - so another little gem to peruse when you have a spare five mins.

A (not too) sparkly outfit for a night out...or for a night in, if you fancy it...

 

OK so I accept that this is not the closest shot of the outfit that I am wearing but it gives an idea of its silhouette at least. It's a two piece; a high waisted A-line midi skirt and a short top, which looks short enough on the hanger to reveal a little too much mid-riff but in fact it doesn't reveal any (luckily).

A two piece can work really well as an alternative to a dress particularly for those ladies who wear a different top size to skirt size - and a high waisted skirt fits neatly, avoiding the gaping that can come with a skirt which sits lower on the hips. So do give one a try, even if it looks as though the top will finish somewhere up near your arm pits - they are really nice for a change.

I wore this Jacquard top from Miss Selfridge (£24.50),

together with this jacquard skirt from Miss Selfridge (£31.50) and a pair of very high sparkly Dune shoes just because if you can't wear sparkle when its Christmas, when can you? It looked and felt far more expensive than its reasonable price tag. If someone had stuck me in it and said it was from Reiss or Whistles, I wouldn't have argued with them.

I spotted another double trouble outfit in Warehouse today, which isn't online but if you're passing and if you're after a two piece outfit, it's definitely worth a closer look. From memory it was black, sparkly (there's a surprise) again with a skirt - possibly pencil - and a short sleeved top combination.

And I'm including this just because I love it and one might just be on its way to be sometime soon.....a sequin skirt from Miss Selfridge (£38.50). Now we're starting to verge on the ridiculous. Is there such a thing as excessive sequinnage? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another glamourous lady in a leather skirt from Oasis, plus some Zara and Reiss

 

Carrying on from my last post, another of the outfits that we covered at our Glamour Evening last week was the school carol service, which for us is held in the (slightly chilly) chapel, with one service being held in the evening.

I think that it's probably fair to say that this outfit is perhaps a little OTT for a carol service but then again the evening was all about Glamour. You may recognise the coat from a post in the not too distant past!

The few shots below show you what we were getting up to.  Further down is a clearer pic of the outfit, with links where possible. 

For info the outfit comprises a green leather pencil skirt, sparkly jumper, pink statement necklace and pink clutch and a Zara fur coat.

I liked the idea of a leather skirt for the Christmas period for a number of reasons. First, it's a little different and this one is a good price. The green is a nice change from black too. It's warm (always a bonus) and it can be dressed up or down over the next few weeks - a looser crew neck jumper and ankle boots would work just as well as this cropped sparkly jumper and heels.

The combination of the shorter jumper and higher waisted skirt does a great job of elongating the legs too.

Aside from the coat, which is from Zara and the bag which is from Reiss, everything else is from Oasis, who have some great pieces at the moment.

The above shot shows the Grace leather pencil skirt (£85), Sparkle crop jumper (£35), Cara sparkle fabric court shoes (£40) which are great as they aren't too high. The necklace doesn't appear to be online but there are, or were, plenty in the stores.

 

 

A glamourous Mum in a glamourous outfit from Coast, Dune, Carvela and Jigsaw

 

 

A very beautiful lady!

 

Last night we held a Glamour Evening at school and I styled the fashion side of things. It was a joint event between myself and a friend who is an Arbonne representative, plus we had a hairdresser come along to do an "up do" on one of the models, a make-up artist, a team of ladies threading eyebrows and another lady promoting her teeth whitening business - so there was plenty going on. The entrance to the event was lit with tea lights (I can't take credit for any of this) which made it look really pretty.

 

The board room was transformed - a little bit Winter Wonderland and a little bit Downton Abbey!

 

Well, what's a mantelpiece for if not for displaying shoes....

...and the odd bag?

 

During the evening we covered a number of different events that might arise during the Christmas calendar and "black tie" was one of them. A lovely Mum from school had her hair and make-up done for the event.  In preparation for the event I chose this fabulously opulent Rita skirt from Coast (was £125, now £87.50) which I knew would make the most of her tiny waist and which I hoped that she would agree to wear - and luckily she did. [They are only available in limited sizes now but if anyone is desperate for a size 10, I have a spare one - although only at the full price.]

 

 

I've displayed the outfit in the pictures below and in addition to the skirt you can also see the bag that I used, which is from Dune (Now £52 instead of £65) as I wanted to pick up the blue in the skirt elsewhere in the outfit but this could just as easily be done in some shoes or in some jewellery.

I also opted for the Coast Sunnita jacket (£85 full price though it is available with a discount at some stores) as it has a nice neat fitted shape to it and I didn't want to spoil the line of the skirt, some Stella & Dot earrings, a Coast thick gold bangle and Carvela Lacey shoes which have little spikes on the front and which were included just to add a bit of an edge to the outfit.

 

Carvela Lacey shoes - tricky to find right now, House of Fraser have sold out and the Very website has crashed but there will be some somewhere!

I also used this 100% silk cami from Jigsaw (now £35.10 instead of £39). These are fantastic for layering under jackets as they aren't too tight, the V-neck isn't too low and the straps are adjustable so they're not constantly falling off your shoulders. They come in a whole range of colours too - just in case anyone is after something similar.

I hear that Santa may be buying this outfit for a black tie event which this lady has coming up. He sounds like my kind of chap!

An idea for a Christmas outfit and a very old (and very pink) coat!

 

Benetton coat, GAP high waisted jeans, Topshop belt, Cos jumper, Zara boots (breaking all the rules of taking decent photos by wearing a coat the same colour as the background. Ho hum.)

 

It has taken me many years but the penny has finally dropped that when Mr SG says that he gets stressed about choosing Christmas presents for me, he really means it. It's not that he's just mildly concerned, or unsure, he's genuinely worried. Given that it's one problem in life that I am able to resolve, today I assisted him with it and he has now bought me a lovely ring from Links and some Bobbi Brown make-up. When I rang him at work to tell him what a productive morning he'd had, he was most impressed AND he was chuffed with himself for saving 20% in Links. Just a few more bits to get and then he's done. How easy was that?

 

Today I finished shopping for the event that I'll be at on Thursday. For once I will aim to take photos of the outfits before heading out with them all. Otherwise I pack them up after the event and take them back to the shops before getting a chance to share them. Hopefully they may give some ideas for outfits in the run up to Christmas. This year I will, once again, be doing my 12 outfits of Christmas so if anyone fancies joining me by letting me have photos of their outfits, or posting them on facebook, please feel free to do so. I hope to kick off on 13 December, or thereabouts.

 

So, just one idea for a slightly different style jacket in the run up to Christmas - the kimono jacket. They've been around for a while but it seems that they're here to stay and with a pair of straight or skinny jeans and some heels, they make a nice alternative to a leggings/tunic outfit which can all too often be a default position.  They aren't too fitted, or too tailored, so they have that nice relaxed feel about them.  They work well with a looser vest style top underneath which again avoids the overly clingy/tailored look which isn't always appealing from a comfort, point of view.  They also come in lots of prints, colours and textures so there should be something for everyone. Anyway, I'll leave that one with you to ponder. The ones below are from Oasis but they are everywhere and M&S, in particular, has a good selection.

 

Cherry blossom kimono jacket Oasis (£42)

 

 

Sequin kimono Oasis (£45)

Lace Kimono jacket Oasis (£50)

Designer blog sale....be quick!

Earlier in the year my Sister in Law was lucky enough to get herself invited to the Net a Porter sale. There she bought a number of pieces which she has asked me to see if any of you lovely ladies would like via the blog.

 

I think that we'll go down the same route as the last blog sale, as that seemed to work well. Just email me at style@bethgoodrham.com if you are interested in anything putting the name of the dress/shoes in the email header and we'll take it from there, on a first come first served basis. Once I'm in cleared funds I will send the item out, although I can't promise to do it the very next day!  Postage for each item will be £3 unless anyone wants to do it any other way. All items are non returnable and sold as seen. So here goes...

 

Nicole Farhi grey mink narrow striped knee length dress, size 12. It is made from 45% wool, 36% polyester and 19% cotton. It has a black exposed zip at the back, has pockets and is dry clean only. The RRP is £220 but it's being sold for £80.

 

 

Iris and Ink green 100% lamb leather knee length dress, with a polyester lining. It has an exposed silver zip at the back and it also has pockets. It's a Size 14 (dry clean only by a leather cleaning expert). The RRP would originally have been in the region of £600 and it has more recently been sold on the Outnet for £220 but it's being sold for £135.

There are a few "splash marks" in three small areas on the dress but they are not very noticeable.

  

Alice by Temperley blue mini rose tunic style dress. It's 100% silk and is dry clean only (but then apparently it's OK to give it a cool iron!) It's a size 12 with a RRP of £288 but is being sold for £110.
 

 

 

 

Black lace and ribbon Alice by Temperley Vanessa dress, size 8. It's 100% silk and is dry clean only (but it can take a cool iron on the reverse). Its RRP is £420 but it's being sold for £180. It doesn't have its ribbon belt but that will be easy enough to replace.

Pour La Victoire shoes, UK size 6. The RRP is £285 but they are being sold for £50.

The shoes are brand new but they are marked in a couple of places, hence the great price.

Good luck!

Something furry from Zara for a chilly morning...

 

Coat: Zara, jeans: Whistles Maya; Boots; Dune, Bag: Kate Spade

 

So after yesterday's post, I've raided the Birmingham Oasis and relieved it of many of its striped jumpers. Ooops!

 

Today saw the inaugural outing of the Zara fur coat (£69.99), which I have had sitting in my wardrobe for about 6 weeks now. The timing had to be right and today was the day. It may have had something to do with the fact that I saw the much lusted after Shrimp coats in Selfridges yesterday which, on closer inspection, didn't feel any different at all in texture to this considerably less expensive Zara one. Or it could have been that because it was a Friday I was feeling frivolous. I know, living life on the edge or what? Or maybe it was just because, at long last, I felt brave enough to venture out in it, despite the reservations of the six year old as to its shape which I get, although not to its colour which is what was I expecting. Having said that, she did keep on stroking it as I walked her in to school.

 

I have spent more hours in the shops this week than I can count. Next week I'm working at an event at the children's school. We're holding a glamour night and we will have a talk from a skincare and make up brand, there will be a hairdresser there doing up dos, along with someone doing eyebrows. I have a teacher, parents and friends modelling for me. We're doing a metaphorical walk through the Christmas calendar together with the outfits that you may want for those events and I'm having a ball indulging my inner glam (which doesn't often make an appearance) buying all things silk, satin and sequinned. I can't really share any photos yet of the things that I bought but I hope to do so after the event. We only have about ten tickets left and if anyone would like one, please just drop me an email. I am soooo excited about it!

 

Look forward to catching up next week!

Anyone who loves stripes, come with me.....

I keep repeating to myself the mantra "I do not need it and I will not buy it. I do not need it and I will not buy it. I do not need it and I will not buy it." Except sod it, yes I do and yes I will. I'm going into town first thing tomorrow. Anyone want me to get them one?! (Oasis jumper £42)