White jeans - a summer staple or a style nightmare?!

Having taken the outfit shots and having loaded up the photos, I'm now going to be incredibly unhelpful and tell you that the white jeans that I'm about to write about aren't actually available online. Sorry. However I do have a plan, which you can find out all about later in the post.

Yesterday I bought three pairs of Whistles jeans (I know, ouch) - one white, one navy and one black, all of which had between 60% and 70% off. At full price they would have been £285 (well they wouldn't because I wouldn't have paid that) but I ended up paying about £115 which isn't to be sneezed at but they will last me for many years.

So, back to white jeans in particular. Tricky little beggars aren't they? And here's why:

1. White acts as a highlighter not only drawing the eye to the area on which its worn but also adding pounds in the process. Perhaps not the best case scenario for one's thighs;
2. They can be see through;
3. This means that not only can you see pants and pockets BUT;
4. Others are able to witness any areas that may not be quite as smooth as they once were (oh all right then - cellulite);
5. Too tight and they can be a bit yuck and too loose they can wrinkle horribly around the knees - and as you can see above, wrinkles in white jeans really show.

I've tried a few pairs of white jeans this season - GAP skinny with rips, GAP girlfriend, Hush and the ones that I wanted to try, Baukjen, had sold out in my size by the time they went into the sale. However with two UK based holidays approaching, I just thought that some white jeans might lift my mood when the rain sets in!

I had nearly given up on white jeans when I came across these Whistles ankle length ones yesterday. They have plenty of stretch, they're thick and supportive, the rise isn't too low and so in the end I just threw caution to the wind and went for it. I know, living life on the edge again. 

So if you too are on the hunt for white jeans, it might be an idea to take a trip to a Whistles store. If there's not one near to you, customer services are usually really good at trying to track items down and they can be sent out to you.  For info purposes the ones that I am wearing are a 26". The good thing about Whistles jeans is that they come in some in between sizes too, so a 27 (size 9) and 29" (size 11) too which is handy to know in general.

So, white jeans, yes or no? Too impractical or a great option for a lighter summer jean without losing the warmth that the weather suggests we might need.  

The alternative prom outfit....

As many of you will know, it's prom time of year. I've heard some horror stories about prom outfits. One chap who was at our house fixing the dishwasher told me how his wife had bought his daughter a prom dress that cost over £700. He was so incensed that he left the family home for two days and went to stay with his Mum. On top of that there were still shoes to buy, a limo to pay for, plus the hairdo and so on. Now that's a big fat "Ouch".

Well let me tell you, there was none of that in this house! I do understand that prom (not my favourite term but let's go with it for now) can create all sorts of issues for the girls. Long dress, short dress, colour, fabric, cost - well the usual that us ladies face when choosing a special outfit. The one thing that I do really like about prom though is that after weeks of revising, wearing tracksuits, no make-up, hair in a ponytail and glasses on - it gave our daughter the chance to dress up and have some fun and that was lovely to see.

I'm not one to offer fashion advice unless it's requested but Flo and I did have a brief chat early on about what sort of outfit she wanted to wear. She's old enough to make her own decisions so my only suggestion was to encourage her to think about wearing a less obvious choice than a short, tight, cut out number which although can look lovely, isn't really her. Initially she ordered a few beaded dresses from ASOS but even the size 6 didn't fit. She has a tiny waist and although they were really pretty on her, she didn't feel that they were quite right.

And then one Sunday when we were in town we nipped into Coast in Debenhams, just on the off-chance to see what they had. She had thought about wearing a 1950's skirt and the assistant that I know kindly looked in the stock room and produced the size 6 skirt that she is wearing above, reduced from £120 to £59. Within minutes the deal was done.

The skirt that Flo had was the Rita skirt but the nearest at the moment is the Coast Eve Jacquard skirt (£129 - below). They do the Rita style every season in a few prints and it's a real gem, especially for those ladies who are more pear shaped as they can show off their narrow waist whilst not having anything that skims or clings over the hips and thighs. Plus the addition of heels elongates everything too, giving a lovely silhouette.

I've just shown this Coast Kalisse skirt (£120 instead of £160) and matching top to my husband and I've told him that I'll be wearing it when we renew our wedding vows, which having seen this outfit I now have plans to do. Oddly he seemed slightly bemused. But seriously this is a great outfit for a bride, whether first, second or third time around.

I've styled a client in this Coast hyperbloom skirt (£165) for a wedding that she's going to, along with the top below which is from Reiss. You may have seen Susannah Reid wearing the skirt of this month's cover of Good Housekeeping. What I love about this style skirt is that it really does transcend the ages so well - from 16 to 60 (and beyond) it's a great option.

Reiss  Rita top, (£29 reduced from £89)

Anyway back to the prom outfit. After securing the skirt in record time, we then went into Topshop which is almost next door to Debenhams. I figured that the top could be tricky. It needed to be short, if not cropped, either silver, the same green as the skirt or white at a push and because the skirt is quite covered and traditional, I realised that she would want something slightly edgy and nothing at all like a top I would choose for myself! And within two minutes we found this top....

Topshop bralet top (£15)

So I know that it's not overly covered up but it's no more revealing than anything that might be worn on a beach. And sometimes you just have to appreciate when to let things go a little!

As for shoes, we left them until pretty late - the day before in fact. And the hair appointment too but all worked out well in the end.

New Look silver snake print sandals (£24.99)

Flo was accompanied by her friend, Josh, who was the perfect gent bringing her a beautiful corsage. Apparently one boy who she has known since Primary School went up to her and said "Flo, I like your attire. "

I had a budget in mind of £100 for the outfit and this came in at £98.99 which was a little more acceptable than £700. Even now I can't help thinking about that poor chap!

When confronted by lime green sandals, what's a girl to do?

First thing on Sunday morning I found myself in New Look, helping our eldest to find prom shoes. Whilst there, these New Look lime green sandals (£12.99), which just happened to be in my current favourite shade, caught my eye and I was compelled by some intergalactic force, to try them on. And then of course I liked them, which resulted in me buying them. What's a girl to do?! *

* Stop going to the shops may be a good idea. Or maybe just not trying things on when I get there. Simple really.

Sharing a couple of new pink acquisitions....

Today I wanted to share my current favourite flat shoes with you - the Boden Alice flats (£59.40 in the sale). I have had them for a few weeks now and the first thing that I did when they arrive was to treat them with some suede protector. The second thing that I did with them was to wipe my foot under the tyre of a car, leaving a lovely black stripe down the front of one of them. I must admit that I haven't got around to trying to get it off yet. But (naively no doubt) I am hopeful.

Anyway, the reason for the special mention is because they are so comfortable and being a serious trainer wearer, it's something that I focus on quite a lot when it comes to shoes. Generally I figure that if I can walk a mile in a pair of shoes without them hurting, I can probably walk in them for hours without any problems. Obviously the fact that they are pink and have a tassel on them has nothing to do with it. Nothing whatsoever.

I know that many of you struggle with finding comfortable shoes that are stylish so hopefully these may help. And unlike other flat shoes, they really don't make me feel dumpy. Ballet flats and I do not get on at all and I'm convinced that having a pointed toe makes all the difference - and really they don't crush your toes.

And in addition to my favourite pink shoes I'm going to share with you my other new favourite pink acquisition...

Words cannot express how much I love our new pink bin. I think taking enjoyment from the smaller things in life is what it's all about - not that it is insignificant but you know what I mean - it's not a new car, or a holiday in the Bahamas either.

Can I persuade you to jump into a jumpsuit?

Not so long ago, I could never have imagined wearing a jumpsuit but I guess that's partly because I hadn't found the right one. A very short, very tight, Ted Baker style one (lovely as they are) worn with heels for a night out would have just caused looks of consternation wherever I went. It's a bit like the off-the-shoulder top that I tried on the other day. What looked like a 19 year old's top next to the face of a 44 year old. Not so much.

However just after Christmas I took the plunge and ordered the Baukjen playsuit that I'm wearing above. I didn't expect to like it but I was pleasantly surprised not only by its comfort and quality but also because of its laid back style. Whilst I couldn't deal with a jumpsuit in a dressed up environment I can get my head around it in a more relaxed setting, with flats and a stack of friendship bracelets. The drawstring waist means that I can alter the length of the shorts, the addition of a sleeve means that I feel less exposed and the neckline is one that I like. As with my denim Topshop jumpsuit that I've worn so much, an all in one outfit just takes the hassle out of dressing.

This Baukjen playsuit (£71) is a good alternative, although sizes are limited. 

And M&S Limited Edition has this playsuit (£45) which I love for its denim look, although the reviews about its fit aren't great - but obviously one size doesn't fit all and I would personally still give it a try. In fact M&S has quite a good selection of jumpsuits, both printed and plain so it's worth taking a look there as a starting point.

GAP has this tencel playsuit (24.99) which would be perfect for those who might prefer a little less coverage, possibly because they're going somewhere other than wet Wales or rainy Guernsey for their hols!

I know that some of us may be over 40 and that some of us will soon be teetering on the brink of being nearer to 50 than 40 - but that doesn't mean that we have to resign ourselves to wearing mid calf, wide leg, flippy, flappy linen trousers in the summer.

A second outfit for when it's (still) hot in the city....

So as I was saying yesterday, I've recently done some work with lower 6th form students about what to wear to interviews. The outfit below was a soft tailored look as opposed to a more formal, corporate look. It's still smart and stylish but it's more modern than the suited and booted look.

I love this Topshop sleeveless duster coat (£65) which is great for the warmer summer months. It has a lovely fluidity about it and is really smart without being stiff and restrictive.

The detail on the back of the coat is lovely too and it could be styled with the belt tied loosely at the back offering a great option for curvier figures as it just skims without clinging.

Underneath the sleeveless duster coat I used this Mango flowy shirt (£9.99), which wasn't too sheer - a common problem with white blouses. I was really impressed by the quality and if it had had a Reiss label in it, I wouldn't have argued with it. It's a great offering for £9.99.

Topshop  do their cigarette trousers (£22) in several different prints as well as in their short and tall range. I'm a big fan of this shape for a modern look as they are slim without beings skinny. I tried these on just to see what they felt like and I was really impressed with them. I'm always in between sizes with this particular style of Topshop trouser so they don't quite work for me but otherwise I would buy a pair like a shot. They also come in black and are machine washable, which is always a bonus.

When it came to accessories I wanted something modern and something that the girls would (hopefully) enjoy wearing. So the Topshop snake effect court shoes (£59) filled one gap...

and the Topshop snake effect panel bag (£40) filled another. The structured bag offered a nice contrast to the more fluid and drapey fabrics on the top half of the outfit.

With the basis of this outfit being such a simple colour palette, it would be easy to ring the changes and swap the accessories for brighter ones, clash them, tone them, add in some statement jewellery and really have fun with it. So I hope that some of you will!

A workwear outfit for when it's hot in the City!

Today I went to speak to the Lower 6th form students at a local Grammar School. The main focus of the talk was to advise them about interview wear, either for University or more likely, graduate jobs. As part of the presentation two of the girls agreed to model for me and they each had two outfits. Although I covered off one fairly corporate look, I also wanted to introduce some other looks which whilst still work place appropriate, enabled them to express their individuality a little. Using brands at which the girls might typically shop, such as Topshop, Warehouse, Oasis and Mango meant (I hoped) that they would more readily identify with the message that I was trying to convey.

With the girls being under 18 I can't show their photographs on here but this outfit was one of the girls' favourites - and mine too. I'll bring you another instalment tomorrow.

As soon as I saw these Warehouse culottes (£65) I knew that I wanted to use them. They are a lovely draped fabric with a good length and I also liked the clean, simple lines. From experience, younger women don't like the thought of skirts that they consider too long - they just won't wear them as they consider them frumpy, even if they are a pencil skirt - however most culottes tend to be worn either just below the knee or midi length, so they are an acceptable alternative. The v-neck is also great for anyone with a curvy bust and as those of you with one with know, finding v-neck anything can be really hard, especially work wear.

The Warehouse cut out court shoe (£45) is an elegant style. Not too high and  in real life they are more of a pale grey than cream - so not as "weddingy" as they look here.

And whilst matching the shoes and bag isn't always perceived to be the way to go, I wanted to present a variety of options, so there was plenty of bag and shoe clashing elsewhere in the outfits. Also, if the budget doesn't stretch to expensive accessories, keeping the colour palette simple can work a treat.

This Warehouse belt detail bag (£15 down from £42) looks much more expensive than its £15 price tag would suggest. I really like the clean lines and belt detail and although some prefer to spend more on a handbag, this is a great option when entering the handbag market - or indeed at all.

Finally I used this necklace from Oasis - apologies for the fact that I can't find it on-line. It was £12 and the shape complimented the neckline of the culottes, whilst at the same time keeping the outfit the right side of young and fresh.

As for a jacket, for the purposes of today I used a Mango one of mine in various shades of blue. Personally I wouldn't try to match the navy of the culottes to a navy jacket. Instead I would either stick with a black jacket or one in a contrasting colour. Or if the weather and your work place permitted, going jacket less would be my preferred choice.

What do you think to the Warehouse culottes? Could you be tempted? I really could as they could be styled for other events too from weddings, to an evening out, with white converse or gladiator flats. Hmmm. Now there's a thought.

The & Other Stories pom pom dress and let's ponder ugly shoes...

I bought this pom pom trim dress from & Other Stories (£55) quite a few weeks ago now but saved it for our trip to the US. Having worn it on a baking hot day, and shorts on another, I realised how cooling the dress was compared to the shorts - it must be down to the air circulation! I think that this was the day that we also did the tour of the UN, for which we had to dress appropriately, so the midi length worked well.

The whole foot bed shoe trend suits me down to the ground and I wore these Aldo shoes a huge amount.  From what I've read this trend is here to stay and it's likely to get even more ugly. Apparently really ugly shoes make the rest of one's outfit look even more chic. Or, I wonder, do they just focus the attention on the ugly shoes so that no matter how chic the rest of the outfit, no-one notices because it's totally overwhelmed by the ugliness of the shoes? Now that's one to ponder for a Sunday night!

Taking a Liberty shirt dress across the pond...

In the words of Rod Stewart

"Will I see you tonight, on a down town train

 Every night every night it's just the same

 On a down town train"

....and the irony was, I was on a down town train - but it wasn't night time and nor was Rod singing to me. Oh well, you can't have it all.

For those of you who follow Style Guile, you may recognise this Claudette dress from Allium B, which was gifted to me a few weeks ago. Its Liberty print is so quintessentially English that I really wanted to take it away with me. An Assistant in J. Crew on 5th Avenue recognised it as being a Liberty print and said how much she loved it - which I thought Mary and Claire at Allium B would be pleased to hear. And for anyone interested, all Allium B dresses are currently on sale, so do nip over for a look. 

The above photo was taken on the Staten Island ferry, having viewed the Statue of Liberty. 

And for those who are fans of Gossip Girl (realising the importance of Gossip Girl on this trip, I watched about four episodes before we went, just to get the gist of the whole thing) this museum was used for the external shots of the school that Serena and Blair went too. (See, I even know the characters!)

My sandals are the Dena sandal from Miss KG (£55), which were amazing comfortable for the eight or so miles that we must have covered that day.

And here's a shot of the lady herself! 

Wishing you a fabulous weekend. x

Shorts and pom poms in New York City!

Our recent trip to New York was the most amazing experience for the both of us. Our lovely Flossie finished her GCSE's on Thursday afternoon and by 9am on Friday we were heading over the Atlantic. She relished the plane journey where she could sit and, for the first time in months, not do any work. I relished the peace and the fact that I didn't have young children in tow! 

When it came to packing, I stuck to an almost neutral colour palette of black, navy, white and cream. Any colour came in the form of nails and friendship bracelets. It worked so well that I will be replicating it on our summer holiday next month. 

Over the next few days I will share a few outfit shots from our trip. Hopefully I won't irritate everyone to death in doing so! 

This was my first photo on US soil, whilst waiting to go through immigration. I travelled both there and back in my Topshop boiler suit (£65) and it was perfect (despite what people think about "going to the loo" type issues!) I also wore these Aldo Draedia shoes, now £25 in the sale, and my new M&S Collection bag (which still doesn't appear to be online), went everywhere with me. It was the perfect size for our map, my star clutch which had money, credit cards etc in it, suntan lotion, wipes, plasters, sunglasses and a denim shirt in the back pocket - just in case! I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone vaguely tempted.

Before I went away, I had my legs sprayed to make them a lesser shade of Persil white. Having said that, I have a feeling that most of it was deposited on the bathroom floor of our hotel when I got changed after arriving. Nice!

The pom pom embroidered tee from Topshop (sorry, can't find that online either) that I am wearing, arrived just in time and I'm pleased that I made the effort to go into town to collect it before going away. The scalloped shorts were from GAP last summer and you can find similar here

Unbelievably, given the temperature by the time that we left, it was actually quite chilly on the first day, so this Jigsaw pom pom scarf (£59) came in really handy. I think that I was killing time here in Victoria's Secrets whilst someone was trying bikinis on. Given how many pom poms I was wearing, I gave some thought to the collective noun for pom poms. I wondered whether a "dangle" of pom poms might work?

Later in the week, after one or two (OK about five), trips to J.Crew, I bought this striped top (£47 in the UK).

More about the pink sandals in my next post!

However for now, I'll leave you with a picture of one of my favourite sights - right from the top of the Empire States Building. It's just stunning - and terrifying - up there.

It's casual all the way today....

"Give me your best holiday face" said the youngest as she was photographing me. And this is what she got! As you can see I'm uber casual today - Topshop skirt, H&M t-shirt, ancient converse and GAP clutch for those million jobs that need doing before you go away.

Watch out for Mr SG's guest posts whilst I'm away, to include how to wear crocs 10 different ways and the art of dressing yourself by taking whatever is on top of the pile when you open the wardrobe. I'm so going to miss him whilst I'm away. x

A white bag? Really? Yes really.

Before today, I'd never owned a white bag - not even one to dance around in my younger years. I suppose I'd always thought them a bit naff, in the same way that I find white sandals a bit naff but I have no idea why that should be and no doubt next summer I will be at the front of the queue for white sandals. 

Metallics are my usual preference for a summer bag if I want something that goes with everything but then I was working with M&S last week I spotted this white leather one in Collection. I didn't have time to buy it when I was working and subsequently I couldn't find it on the site (still can't - sorry!) however when I came across it in store today it had 20% off - so obviously it was meant to be.  

I like the textured look and feel of this bag together with the utilitarian styling, which stops it from being too twee and makes it look a little APC. Also the cross body style makes it more laid back and less fussy than some handbag styles.

And then of course white bags started jumping out at me wherever I went....

I spotted this raw edge leather bag in Cos (£115) - again the clean, simple lines work for me. It definitely has that Scandi feel about it.

Whistles  has this gorgeous satchel (£260) and it can also be worn cross body by lengthening the strap.

One of my favourites was the Whistles colour block satchel (£270). OK so it's not strictly all white but the colour palette is so simple and clean for the summer.

Having never been a fan of white bags before I feel that I may become a convert. This will (pretty much) be the only handbag that I take away with me to New York when I go this weekend so I will put it through its paces and see how it gets on. From my denim jumpsuit, to shirt dresses, to maxi dresses and my white Cos skirt, it's going to have to work hard.

I'm hoping to post one last time before I leave the UK but I'm not sure that I will manage it (although Mr SG has offered to write guest posts for me whilst I'm away) but please do come and find me on instagram for snaps of what's going on. Oh and if anyone has any orders that they want to put in for things from the US, just let me know!

Bomber jackets - have you? could you? will you? won't you?

I know that I'm way behind the times on this one. Hec, Mary Berry has been wearing her Zara bomber jacket for a couple of years now but having ventured into Bomber Jacket territory I thought that I would share my thoughts.

The one that I'm wearing above is from Jigsaw. I had seen it in store full price last summer but I knew that both the pale blue one and the cream one would be a big mistake, probably lasting approximately five minutes before I wrecked it. Not that I'm hard on my clothes but it really would be the law of sod wouldn't it?!  However when reminiscing about them in store last week it came to light that they had a black one in the stock room, reduced from its full price of £169 (I think) to £45.

And the verdict? Well I reckon that they are a pretty flattering for lots of shape. There's simple styling, there's no high neckline, you can do the zip up to where it suits and the style of them means that they are good for disguising a tum. Also, they are a just a bit different - not seeking to copy a blazer or a trench, they are their own person (or jacket). And here are a couple that I worked with last week at M&S...

Tropical print bomber jacket from Autograph at Marks and Spencer (£69)

This a lovely option for anyone who doesn't want anything that shouts too loudly. It's soft and silky so could be worn either casually with jeans, or I like them with a pleated, or pencil, skirt.

Bomber jacket by Limited at Marks and Spencer (£55)

This one is really pretty. It's a lovely soft shade of pink and the embellishment works really well with it, even in a daytime context. Again it's quite a draped fabric - probably on the slightly smarter side than the one below.

On the other hand, this Topshop  bomber (£45) is made of jersey so has a slightly more casual feel about it.

All I would say is that if you're looking for a lightweight jacket to take away on holiday, either to cover your shoulders, or for on the aeroplane or if the nights get chilly, a bomber jacket could be the answer. I will wear mine with shorts, a maxi, a black lace skirt and jeans of many differing shapes. In fact it could do a good job giving lots of things a nudge in the right direction style wise.