So, as to the title of this blog post, Simply Red. I have discovered a new colour and yes, it's red! I have never really been a fan of red before. I once had a red suit from Jigsaw which I loved, and some flat red patent shoes, but that's about it. I bought the suit when I was training as a solicitor in London. It was a sale purchase - too big to start with, then I shrank a bit and the skirt fell down around my ankles. Not a good look, especially if you don't want to show your undies in public. The other thing that I remember about that time in my life was sitting for weeks on end at the Land's Tribunal working on the most dull case in the history of mankind. The hour after lunch was the worst and I used to have such trouble keeping my eyes open that it was torture. One of the things that I used to do was to count how many Jigsaws I knew in London - surely a sign even at that stage that I was pursuing the wrong career path!
So far, I have made one red purchase and it is these patent Kurt Geiger shoes. At £130 I thought that they were a little steep but with a 25% off voucher from Glamour Magazine and with a gift card of £59 to put towards them, I ended up paying just under £40 for them. What I love is that the heel isn't too high so they should be comfortable whilst I am on my feet. They are also really versatile as they can be teamed with skirts, dresses, trousers (wide or narrow) and jeans (skinny or flared). The other thing that I really like is that they are cheerful. I also like the fact that I have now totally convinced myself that they were a top purchase!
I am planning on wearing them with these grey tapered leg trousers from French Connection which I bought yesterday. At £75 again, they were on the pricey side but I have discovered that there is 25% off at French Connection with Grazia tomorrow, so I will be returning them and re-buying them for a much more reasonable price. I will probably opt for a black top with some detail on it and a snuggly fur gilet in black to keep out the cold.
I also have a pair of narrow cropped Boden wool trousers in navy (excuse the small picture) which I bought last winter in the sale. They will work with the shoes, together with this sequin jumper from Warehouse, which is selling out quick! The jumper also comes in navy and cream. At full price it is £40 but I have bought several recently for style events and for clients and I don't think that I have ever paid more than £32 for it as there have been lots of 20% off days recently in places like Debenhams, House of Fraser and Warehouse itself.
One of the other things that I will wear the shoes with is this sparkly skirt from Coast - which is a current favourite of mine. A sparkly skirt it is a really good alternative to a sparkly dress as it is so much more versatile. It can be dressed up for the evening or down for the day time, with a polo neck and flat boots. When I wear the red shoes with this skirt, I will keep the rest of my outfit really plain as otherwise I am in danger of looking like something that ought to be hanging on the Christmas tree. Again, this skirt is in the sale, down from £85 to £55 with another 20% off in most stores.
So, my final item is a red coat. My two favourite ones are in Zara (on the left) and Oasis. Whilst I don't really go for the matchy matchy approach, the red shoes and red coat will work well. The other trend this season is to "colour block" that is, wearing the same colour head to toe. I am not sure that it would work with some brighter colours but it might just be possible to pull it off with red.
