Double sequins - faux pas or OK?

You may remember that a few posts ago, I mentioned my double sequin outfit. Well here it is. Get that for sparkle overload!

The top was from H&M last year. It was bought by so many bloggers that between us we probably kept H&M going through the winter period. It wasn't expensive but I loved it then as I do now. H&M has done another version this year but it's a slightly different shape - looser maybe - which may work better for some, than for others.

Sequin top H&M (£29.99)

As to my trousers, they are the coated skinnies from Boden from a few seasons ago now but they have been such a great buy. New Look has a great pair this season  and here I've linked to all of their coated skinnies and leggings - for they have a few.

And the shoes - well these are the Topshop glitter shoes which have pretty much sold out now and which I've probably worn in every post for about the last three weeks.  But there is the odd pair lurking here and there in store and Topshop are pretty good at tracking them down - so don't give up if you have your heart set on some! Plus the silver are available online in a size 40.

Please bear with me whilst I release my inner fairy....I fear that there may well be many more sparkly and glittery outfits to come in the upcoming weeks.

The sequin star jumper from Next - it's a beaut!

Every day is Christmas jumper day for me between now and well, about the end of January really, but for an all round super jumper that ticks the Christmas box without being too "Christmassy" this one could just be for you.  It's the sequin star sweater from Next (£32). Bob's your Uncle, Fanny's your aunt, job done - love it! (Just go down a size)

For the love of the Me & Em lace trim slouchy jogger

A few weeks ago the lovely team at Me & Em invited me to choose a few pieces from their current collection to style. As you all know by now, I really love pieces that are both pretty, and comfortable, so it was inevitable that the the lace trim slouchy jogger would feature among my choices.

Whilst in years gone by joggers were confined to being worn only at home, now they can be seen on even the reddest of carpets and at the glitziest of parties and with versatility also being so important to me, this really sealed the deal for me.

First things first - I started off with the size 8 but as they are so generous I had to go down to a size 6, which is just something worth bearing in mind. And then although the 6 were a little snug to start off with on the calves, after a few hours of wearing them, they warmed up and gave so that now they are the perfect fit. The great thing about them is that they are pretty substantial so I don't wander around feeling self conscious and fearing VPL or wobbly bum syndrome!  They also come in black or navy,  which should keep most of us happy.

These joggers are such a great option for a Saturday at home with a breton striped top and sneaker boots, or for a long car journey with ankle boots and a coatigan, or as I've styled them here with glitzy shoes and a lacy top. My next plan is to wear them with a lacy cami, a tuxedo jacket and heels. And come about 4pm on Christmas Day, when it's time to cast the dress aside, these will come into their own big style! Already the list of possibilities of when I might wear them is heading towards endless because they will also take me right through to the summer too.

For those who haven't wandered down the jogger route yet, other than for the purposes of jogging, or chilling at home, these are definitely worth a full and extensive investigation! I've had several pairs of joggers over the years from lighter weight ones (long jumpers only - let's not do the VPL thing) to heavier fleecy ones (extremely sexy - not) to silky ones which I love for a night out but perhaps not for everyday. And, let's really go full circle now, I love the lace. It's subtle but I know it's there!

The H&M silver pleated skirt....

(Outfit: Skirt H&M current season, Shoes Dune, Jumper Whistles, Bag Boden, all previous seasons)

I know, I look like a very silver Christmas tree. Although compared to an outfit that I wore the other evening - first to parents' evening (the Head must have thought I was slightly crazy donning double sequins) and then out with friends, this is positively tame. In fact I came out of parents' evening slightly hot and flustered due to trying to cover up said sequins with a fur gilet and a coat. Bad move.

Anyway, I digress, here I'm wearing the H&M silver pleated skirt (£29.99) which is uber comfortable for a number of reasons. First it has an elasticated waist, secondly it's a great length, thirdly it has plenty of room for taking a big stride. What more can you ask from a skirt that looks like it's made of bacofoil?

And as for re-styling it? Biker boots and a turtle neck maybe, or high open sandals and a chunky jumper, or a lacy top. no socks and ankle boots, or just to add to the glitz, sparkly socks with anything and everything? Now we're talking! (So who's going to comment on the fact that I clearly didn't take my socks off early enough, hence the sock mark on my ankle? That's why I love instagram. These things don't show up!)

My pom pom has to be bright!

There's no doubt that over the past few years, bobble hats have come into their own and one of the best brands for them is the aptly named Bobbl. I've been looking at bobble hats for a while now and I was looking at (OK lusting after) the Bobbl ones the other day. However I just felt that the total price of £72 for the hat and the bobble, which can be bought separately, was more than my internal budget of "how much is an appropriate amount to spend on a bobble hat" allowed. But there's no denying that they are gorgeous! 

So then I got to thinking. Hmmmm. I had a grey cable knit beanie from the GAP and a skinny dip London pom pom key ring that I hadn't yet used, so I got my pliers out, de-constructed the key ring and sewed the pom pom to the hat. And hey presto, I had my pom pom. Obviously it's not quite as good as the bobbl ones but effectively it was free. So I'm happy to go with it for now. 

To create your own, you could go fort this cashmere ribbed beanie GAP (£23.96), which also comes in black...

....and put it with this pink split pom pom £6 from Skinny Dip London. Personally I like a faux fur bobble rather than a knitted one as I can't feeling it crashing around on the top of my head. It's just me. I'm a bit funny about things like that. Oh, and I like it to be bright! 

or this lilac split pom pom £6 from Skinny Dip London

Or there's this Next pom pom key ring which comes in plum, teal or orange (£6)

...and then you're pretty much there. There are cheaper beanies around of course, Primark, H&M, New Look etc will all have them. 

 And these were also contenders for a bobble hat purchase, had I decided to buy one...

Joules  pink bobble hat £19.95 - just look at that pom pom!

Joules yellow bobble hat (£19.95) - the colour is probably the nearest thing we're going to get to anything resembling sunshine right now! 

There's also a great one in Accessorize that's yellow and white Fair Isle with a yellow pom pom and John Lewis has some with writing on them - "Prosseco Ho Ho Ho" I think one says, plus there are a couple of others in the same range with slogans on them but I can't find them online. Sorry! Anyway, happy pom-pom-ing!

The only thing to wear on a chilly day...

I'm just going to take a moment to list what is is that I love about a jumper dress, particularly this Woolovers jumper dress in khaki which was gifted to me from the Woolovers 100% merino wool range

First of all, I love their versatility. I can wear this jumper dress over jeans, with pleather leggings, with tights and boots or bare legged with gold caged heels and a long pendant, so it's not going to languish at the back of the wardrobe sitting there looking pretty but not bringing anything to the party.

Secondly, and don't all roll your eyes now, it's warm. I can get a good couple of layers underneath this one on a chilly day without it looking too bulky. But for those who don't have reptilian like tendencies like I do, or if you're in a heated environment, given that it's 100% merino wool it's fairly fine so you won't boil in it. In essence it's a win win, whether you, or your environment, run cold or hot.

And that brings me on to the third thing that I love about it - its shape. It's slightly oversized but not in too huge a way but then it tapers in cocoon style towards the hem, which is really flattering, And it doesn't need a belt, so there's plenty of room for that mince pie/Christmas pudding/alcohol food baby (or indeed even a real baby) and no-one will be any the wiser. Body con dresses, you  have permission to languish in the wardrobe.

And finally the colour. I'm wearing this lovely khaki colour which is good against my fairer skin in the winter - but it also comes in black and red which are great base colours for layering accessories over. For information purposes, I'm wearing a small, which fits me perfectly.

If you haven't had a chance to pop over to Woolovers yet to take a look, it's definitely worth doing so. I find that knitwear can be so expensive but there are some fabulously stylish pieces at a really good price and there's something lovely about spreading the word about independent brands.

Cashmere. No more words are needed!

As soon as the weather gets colder I'm the first to reach for a jumper - and if it's of the cashmere variety that's even better. 

So when Woolovers asked me whether I would like to try a piece from their cashmere range, I was over the moon. The grey crew neck cashmere jumper that have been wearing for the last five winters has started to go into holes, so it's days were really numbered. 

Woolovers has been in existence since 1989 (that's a really long time now - I was at University then!!) and they supply knitwear to over a million customers all over the world. This season they really have some fabulous pieces with a very modern feel about them, from ponchos and wraps to coatigans as well as more "traditional" pieces. I love how a poncho or a coatigan can make a very plain outfit something really quite special.    

So, back to the cashmere, I chose this soft blue jumper and it's absolutely gorgeous. The softness and warmth of cashmere is undeniably one of the finer things in life - (and there is absolutely no itching at all which gets a huge thumbs up from me). The colour will work with so many darker winter colours from navy to grey, and plum and camel. And it's really given this Whistles skirt of mine a new lease of life. I've always loved the colours in it but the blue jumper really lifts it. 

I have no doubt that the lovely folks at Woolovers would love it if you dropped by to take a look at what they have on offer this season and in a few days time I'll be styling a piece from their merino range. 

The tale of the Fur coat and its changing colour...

The finished article!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that for a few weeks now I've been playing with the colour of this Zara mint fur coat that I've had for a few seasons now. Given that I bought the coat via my own free will, I obviously didn't dis-like the colour per-se but I wasn't a fan of it on me. The colour wasn't quite deep enough and on occasions I felt a bit Orville like but nonetheless I loved its fluffiness and warmth, so I decided to dye it to see what happened. 

This was its colour pre-dye...

I dyed it with one box of navy blue dye which was really easy to use. I had to wash the coat on its own, wash it again with the dye and then run the washing machine through again whilst empty.

One box of dye is sufficient for a garment that weighs up to 600g. At 750g that coat was slightly over the limit but I bit the bullet in any event.

So this was the coat after its first round of dye. In all honesty I'm not sure that this colour is a true representation of how it really looked after round one and prior to round two, which probably isn't really that helpful but it at least it provides an idea. Still, I did keep wondering whether, if I used two boxes of dye, it might finally go navy. I knew from reading the instructions that i was unlikey and instead, that the coat would end up a mix of its original colour and the colour of the dye...but I'm an eternal optimist.

Which is exactly what happened. It didn't go navy (other than the inside label) but it did go a darker shade of green - but a shade that I really like so in the end (wait for the pun)....it all came out in the wash. And actually I have to say for a pretty inexpensive fake fur coat, it washes like a dream.

The (gorgeous) pussybow ruched sleeve shirt by Me & Em

There's a simple formula for a smart/casual outfit that's an absolute fail safe every time. We've all used it over and over again and it's this:

Fancy top + battered jeans + sparkly shoes

The fancy top that I'm wearing in these pics is the Me & Em pussybow blouse (£119) and it's an absolute gem of a top for a night out with the girls. Equally with leather leggings it's super stylish or with more tailored trousers it's the perfect work outfit, with a lovely modern relaxed silhouette.

I'm a sucker for a bow, or a frill, or for something pretty and this top is just gorgeous, having both the pussy bow at the neck and a frill at the sleeve. The frilly sleeves are perfect for peeping out from under a coat with three quarter length sleeves, or for wearing with a long line gilet - but they're not so wide and loose that you can't go about your everyday business without trapping them in the dishwasher or dangling them in the cooking.

The "swing" in the top is fabulous too. It's not so full that it feels maternity like in nature but it has enough shape so that it doesn't cling. Plus the movement and slight "swish" to it makes it feel really elegant.

I love the length too. It hits at just the right point to keep it modern and given its wider hem, it has a slimming effect on the hips.

Plus - and it was only a matter of time before I came to this, there's room to layer plenty underneath, which is one of the reasons that I chose this top. I have a vest and one of my trusty short sleeve cropped tops underneath so it was perfect for a daytime outing too. Obviously in the evening I might even lose a layer. I know, how daring!

I like it when a new shape arrives in my wardrobe and I can see myself wearing this top in all sorts of different scenarios. When a top ticks the navy/pretty/versatile/can be layered up, boxes - I'm there every time.

Now obviously if I'd thought about it, I would have taken a couple of shots before I had tied the bow not after, by which time I had made it slightly crinkly. But it's lovely undone and arguably better for those ladies with a curvier bust who prefer more of a v-shaped neckline.

Now that's what you call a bow! So gorgeous!

Whilst this top was gifted to me by Me & Em, all the words and thoughts are my own and I can honestly say that this is a truly lovely top!

The "alternative" Christmas top - because not everyone loves sequins!

I know, it's hard to believe, but not everyone loves sequins. And there's a real trend this season of "un-seasonal Christmas dressing" which frankly I'm not buying into at all. If you like them, Christmas is for sequins, feathers, frills, froth and fancy stuff and no-one is going to convince me otherwise. However for those who genuinely are on the hunt for something pretty but less obviously "Christmassy" how about a kimono inspired top?

Firstly, apologies for the slightly small images. Really if I was any good at this game I would spend ages re-sizing the images but please forgive me - I want to go to bed!

Anyhow, let me introduce you to....

..the floral print kimono top from Zara £25.99. It's a fab price, lovely with a pleather pencil skirt, kick flared jeans and heels or some tapered leg trousers. What I really like about this top is that it's not a clingy number (see below), it has wide sleeves so there's no cutting into flesh and it's just a lovely top to have in your wardrobe for those last minute invitations out.

Quite a lot of the kimono pieces are made of silk, so they can be pricier but equally they can work really hard in your wardrobe and you know, if it's the perfect piece, then it's worth the price.

This cherry blossom silk kimono from Karen Millen (£250) is a fabulous piece. I love the nod to the tux from the collar - and the longer back offers some bottom coverage where it's needed most. Layer with a pretty cami for a wafty, exotic (non-sequined) look. There's currently 25% off with KM for Black Friday.

And I love this embroidered collared jacket from Ted Baker (£249). This would be perfect, and different, for a winter wedding, a work do or equally good dressed down with ripped jeans.

There will be others out there and it's only an idea - but it's one that I'm quite fancying if I'm honest. Are the days of the sequin numbered?

Oooh and as to other deals for Black Friday, there's 20% off at Hobbs, 25% off at Whistles and 20% off at Selfridges.

Our Living Room Mood Board - I have plans!

Now that the  back of the house has been sorted out, it's time to address the rooms at the front of the house - namely the living room and the kitchen. We're nearly there in terms of what we would like to do with the kitchen but the living room has (and is) taking a little more thought.

View of the house from the garden. Designed by Khoury Architects

Living room layout

Our living room is a fairly long, thin, oblong shape with a bay window at one end. At the opposite end there used to be French doors leading into the conservatory but earlier this year they were taken out and replaced with a wall. Behind the new wall is a store room - which is great for all the detritus that needs to be hidden from view - but it's not so good for the light in the living room. Oh and the door into the living room from the hall is also in a funny place, effectively cutting the room in half. So really it's a bit like two separate narrow rooms, with the one furthest from the window being very dark. Excellent!

Work so far

As part of the renovations earlier in the year, we made some alterations to the living room. First, there was only one radiator in it, which wasn't sufficient so the room was cold and uninviting. We had it replaced with two ladder radiators, which are much better. We also had the spots taken out of the ceiling and they were replaced with a centre light fitting, plus the TV point was removed so that the TV is now the opposite end of the room, away from the window and the glare from the sun.

Now for the fun part

Given that the new room at the back of the house is very light and decorated in greys, neutrals and all things Scandi, it seems a good idea to break out into a riot of colour in the living room, which is entirely self contained so it can have a strong personality of its own. The walls, however, I think will be darkish - but warm darkish - for a cosy feel. The room is currently painted almost white and it's still dark in there at the far end so I think it's a case of embracing the lack of light and not trying to pretend that it's something that it's not. 

Where we're at so far

So a few weeks ago I came across the blog The Pink House and I've been fairly glued to it ever since. Given my love of many thing pink, it's not surprising that I love Emily's blog, and in particular her post called "From Grot to Glamour - the Pink House Den before and after" which you can read here.

This is a picture of Emily's Den as it is now...

[photographer Susie Lowe]

Emily's den was in turn was inspired by this picture that she saw in 25 Beautiful Homes Magazine and which was designed by Jessica Buckley, an interior designer who lives in Edinburgh. I love the clever use of colour in these rooms which are just so fresh, inviting and uplifting.

The other living room that I love is Erica Davies' of The Edited. You can read all about the styling of her living room in the post "The House Files: My living room before and after" here. For those of you who haven't already read the post, I won't spoil it but safe to say that she has taken a very plain room and turned into something magical with gorgeous layers of colour, print, texture and interesting arrangements of accessories.

[photograpy by Eleanor Skan]

When does "taking inspiration" from something that someone else has done, become copying it?

I'm very happy not to keep re-inventing the wheel and so if the principle of something works (and if those who've done it the first time round don't mind) then I'm happy to go with it. If Emily says that Farrow & Ball stone blue is a warm blue then I'm good with that. Obviously I've tried it out and love it but other than that, why waste several hours in Homebase going through all the blues in the colour charts? So stone blue on the walls it will be.

The colour that Erica used in her living room is also a gorgeous bluey/grey. So desperate was I to get hold of a tester pot and so bad was the traffic that one morning last week I ran to our local John Lewis to get some, arriving at 8.58am and leaving shortly afterwards with said pot of Little Greene Paint Company Juniper Ash safely in my grasp. I also have plans for this colour...

What about the soft furnishings?

Well that, is where I think most of the colour will come in to play. And there are three things that I have in mind:

• A large footstool which is in a horrible fabric. The design is good but the fabric yuck. I think I chose it (and the rest of the suite) in desperation when I was pregnant with our third. This will be re-covered, quite possibly in a smallish animal/geometric print;

• The love seat that goes with said footstool. I'm planning on getting it re-covered in a fabric different to the footstool. The seat pad cushion, and back, may well be in a printed fabric whilst the rest of the chair may be plain, so that in years to come the cushions can be changed without too much expense;

• We have just had a new pale grey sofa, so this will get new cushions - again in a fabric different to the footstool and love seat, and possibly different from one another.

And this is the type of thing that I have in mind

You cannot imagine the amount of fabric sample books that I have been through in the last week - Harlequin, Romo, Scion, Designer's Guild, Villa Nova, Osborne & Little and still I'm not entirely sure that I have found exactly what I'm after (how much of my mother's daughter am I? I think she was the only person in the world wanting an almond coloured, left handed opening, fridge freezer.)

These are the requirements: It needs to be bright, not too floral in nature or if so, modern floral as opposed to traditional floral. Graphics, spots, stripes or palm leaves are also good. I prefer a whiteish background as opposed to a mucky coloured one and I would like lots of blue in it. Oh and it need to work with, but not go with, this Designer's Guild wallpaper in the unit which was up-cycled in the summer. 

 

 Both of these prints are by Harlequin and are contenders. Or they were. I'm not so sure now...

This is the above print, shown made up on a sofa. And that's the thing isn't it? Fabrics always look so different when made up, that it can be easy to reject something that could be perfect.

But I'm a big fan of the Miami range from Designer's Guild. The fabrics are bright and fresh, pretty different to what else is out there and they all work together in a non-co-ordinated kind of way and across the colour spectrum.

And the one that I like the most...they have, of course, stopped making it in this colour way.  But I have several samples of prints on their way from various different companies, so I'll see where we are by the middle of the week.

So, despite all those musings what have I actually achieved so far? Hmmm, well that would be the purchase of this John Lewis painted lacquer tray (£30) because the colour is perfect and the lacquer gives it a lovely finish. 

And this Nicola Metcalfe London Skyline print from John Lewis (£55) - the colours of which are fab and it reminds me, in a painful kind of way, of running the London Marathon this year. 

Mr SG went to the motorbike show yesterday. "Can I buy whatever I like?" he said. "Of course darling" I replied "As long as I can be in charge of decorating the living room." He didn't buy a new motor bike. The living room will get decorated.