Pleated skirts - my pick of the pack

Today I had a little wardrobe sort out. True, it was interrupted by the chap from Virgin who came to fix the phone as we couldn't make outgoing calls. As it transpired the phone wasn't actually broken. It was just that a call bar had been put on it due to overuse by someone in the family. We'll say no more about that but suffice to say that there is currently a rather large pile of clothes in the centre of our bedroom floor.

I was categorising each item into one of three categories. First, there was "couldn't live without" (arguably a little dramatic I know, but there you go). Secondly there was "don't love but don't want to part with" and thirdly there was "on its way out".

Without a shadow of a doubt my Topshop pleated skirt fell into the "couldn't live without" category. Arguably it needs to fall into the wash bin category as I'm not quite sure when I last washed it. If ever. What an admission. Have you seen how many times I've worn that skirt? Anyway, moving swiftly on.

Why do I love a pleated skirt? Well the silhouette is neat but there's still plenty of room in the skirt for a big stride - I guess that's pleats for you. They are swishy and feminine but work  with trainers (I know, I'm off again) and a leather jacket as well as with a silk blouse, blazer and heels. They wash and dry really well (ignore that. How would I know?) and they have been here for a while so they are a good investment.  Despite what people say, I believe that there's a pleated skirt for everyone.

These are some that I've found recently on my travels...

This red dot pleated skirt from Stories (£59) also comes in navy with white spots. It has buttons down the front and is a slightly shorter length than some that are around. It's quite fresh and spring like but I think we're going to see a lot of dots going into the winter and even if not, who cares? If you love dots wear them all year round!

This black pleated skirt from Stories (£55) also comes in light blue as well as a floral print. It's a good starting point for anyone who doesn't want to stand out from the crowd too much. The darker colour is good for slimming the bottom half and then you can have loads of fun on the top half with print and colour. 

Now in the run up to Christmas, a metallic pleated skirt is a great option. I had one from H&M last year which I wore on into spring and summer with a t-shirt and denim shirt. Again, this one is from Stories (£45). I like how the skirt is styled with a longer line jumper in this image. If the proportions feel a little off with flat shoes, a boot with a bit of a heel will help to redress that. 

Oooh and probably my favourite - the emerald Stories skirt (£69). It's a bit mermaid like really - metallic and green with a richness about it which is just gorgeous! 

Then for an every day cool skirt with a bit of an edge and touch of slouch, there's the Me & Em long jersey pleated skirt (£79). Some may find the jersey takes away from the girliness of a silky pleated skirt - making it more accessible for daily wear. The length is great too - layer those leggings underneath it when its chilly. And it has a lovely wide waistband too for extra comfort. I'm really tempted to try this one.

And finally, for something pink and frou frou, there's the Baltic pleated skirt from Finery (£89). There are quite a few pieces from Finery that are currently on a waiting list and I think that if the fashion pack pick this one up and run with it, it too will sell out quickly. Either that, or it will be heavily discounted in the sale at the end of the season.

I'm hoping to come across a velvet pleated skirt soon. H&M, Jigsaw and Topshop don't have anything right now but I don't think that it will be long before we see them appearing. And Whistles have these metallic options which might be of interest. 

So, there's my pleated skirt round up. Do many of you own one and if so how do you style it. And for those who haven't gone there so far, are any of you now tempted? 

A Finery Dress WITH sleeves AND it doesn't show your knees!!!

Benworth Lace Panel Midi Dress from Finery (£99)

I know how difficult it can be to find a dress not only with sleeves but also with a good length, so I really wanted to share this Finery dress with you. If you haven't already come across Finery do nip over to their site and take a look. They have some brilliant pieces, with great styling at good prices. 

Along with the dress, I'm wearing these Coral Cord Tassel Ear-rings from Alice's Wonders (£6). Cathy set up Alice's Wonders a few years ago now and we collaborated together right at the very start of her journey. Cathy has a great eye, she's really passionate about what she does and she has some wonderful pieces at great prices so again, I would thoroughly recommend taking a look at her site.

And it's my 9 year old photographer who's responsible for creating this shot. She wanted me to twirl. So twirl I did!

Hope that you're all having a super weekend. Beth x

Finery - one year old and now in John Lewis!

I love this quote from Finery's brand book - it's so true!

Many of you will be familiar with the brand Finery which launched a little over a year ago now. The brainchild of three co-founders, Caron Downie (former Fashion Director of Asos and Buying Director of Topshop), together with her former colleagues Emma Farrow (former Design Director at Topshop) and Rachel Morgans (former Buying Director of Asos), the brand "caters for a category of stylish women who were becoming dis-illusioned with a High Street which provided quick turnover trends at budget prices."

Having come from backgrounds which specialised in High Fashion for a younger demographic, the co-founders of Finery wanted to place more emphasis on the product, which is something they felt was being overlooked.

To celebrate the launch of Finery going into six John Lewis stores (Oxford Street, Peter Jones, Cheadle, Trafford, Liverpool, Birmingham) I was invited along to meet the team in our local Birmingham John Lewis. It's the first time that the collection has been available in a bricks and mortar setting so it was exciting to get to touch and feel the clothes and it was lovely to meet Caron Downie who was so gentle and unassuming, despite her success.

Spot blocked tee £35

The collection is relatively small and Finery intend to keep it that way. It's not desperately seasonal either, with the clothes designed to be worn all year round. Emphasis is placed on the cut, the finish, the feel and the comfort factor. I like that the clothes and shoes are a little bit quirky and that the brand has its own strong identity but with a good price point.

Englefield blue boucle coat (£145)

Floral placement print top (£65)

Sorry I can't link to this but it's navy and frilly so it had to be included!

Finery's shoes and boots are brilliant - very London/flat/chunky and stylish. My favourite are these Peep toe ankle boots (£125) - which clearly aren't flat, or chunky, at all!

Marks for ingenuity have to go to this striped jersey tee (£35) which, due to the zip at the back, can either be worn oversized, or fitted. Two in one - brilliant!

One thing that I do - oh yes I really DO - need to invest in, are some tailored trousers. I have jeans, coated skinnies, pleather leggings and wide legged trousers but I don't have a pair of smarter tailored trousers, which I feel are missing from my wardrobe. So I think that these pleated peg trousers (£49) could be a good option and I shall go back and try them on another day.

And finally, with all things frilled being such a big trend this season, I think that I may add this ruffle jersey top (£29) to my wardrobe. It's girliness will be great with ripped jeans, cut offs, or smarter wide legged trousers and trainers.

So if, despite having heard about Finery, they haven't quite made it on to your radar yet, now might be the time to take a closer look. I find that seeing a brand in the flesh always makes it easier to identify with and to start building a relationship with. It's not currently available at John Lewis on line but fingers crossed that may change at some point soon. Happy shopping and have a lovely week! x

Finery - the new brand on everyone's lips. So far I'm liking it very much....

A few weeks ago I, together with millions no doubt, received an email inviting me to register my interest with a soon to be launched online brand called "Finery". The brand is due to be launched on Thursday - you may have read about it in Grazia and the Sunday Times Style Magazine - and so here I thought that I would give a sneak preview of some of the clothes that it has to offer.

Finery's founder, Caren Downie, of Topshop and Asos heritage, sees its position as somewhere between COS and &Other Stories and apparently it is aimed at the post-Topshop girl. Believing that the High Street has little to offer by way of variety - that it is boring - the aim of Finery is to "re-inspire" and to make beautiful things that people just fall in love with.  Apparently the design team were instructed to forget about catwalk trends and instead they were asked to bring in their favourite wardrobe pieces So, here's a flavour of what they have to offer....

There are 37 styles of dress varying from printed, to lace and halter neck to trapeze. This shirt dress (£65) appeals to me for its versatility and because it taps into that utilitarian/uniform look which is pretty big this season.

I'm surprised at myself for liking this pink top as I'm not a peplum fan but I love the colour and it is a bit different - plus it looks great styled with these trousers. It's a fairly accessible look to copy so maybe one to give a whirl...

I have a feeling that this 3D flower pencil skirt will be popular because it offers a good length but it allows a little bit of leg to be shown, albeit in a subtle way. It reminds me of the dresses that the A-listers are wearing the moment with the big pants underneath with a long sheer skirt over the top - but this is a much more accessible look. Over a certain age those big pants just don't work at all!

For a jumper, this sheer panel jumper (£45)  offers something just a little bit different - plus I love a wide sleeve which can do such a good job of balancing out wider hips and making arms look slimmer. I can imagine wearing it with jeans or with leather leggings and I like to think that it would be a good all rounder.

As to trousers, I think that these printed trousers (£59) would be just fab in the summer with a fine crew neck knit, a silky t-shirt or a more fitted top.

These Lotus shoes (£119) give you just a taste of what's on offer on the site. They're really different - lots of high block heels, brogues, loafers - quirky styles that could transform your wardrobe in an instant.

Much as I love our High Street and I think that there are fab things to be found, it's good to see something a little bit different (on re-reading this I think that I have used that phrase many times, which Finery would probably see as a good thing!) With a 20% discount with the code STSXFINERY and with free delivery over £50, plus free returns, I think that it's probably worth just having a dabble to see what you think.