Beth's Best Sale Buys!

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not really a fan of the sales when they first start. They are always crowded plus I tend to be on school holidays when they start - and children and busy shops definitely don't mix.  Nope, I prefer the sales when they are drawing to a close. When the stores go into final markdowns and there are discounts of 70% to be had. Yes, that's more like it. 

And I might have just bought one or two pieces in the sale. Whether I shall keep them all or not I don't know yet but here goes....

OK so I'm slightly late to the culottes party but I saw these earlier in the season and I liked them very much. When they presented themselves to me on my recent travels, I thought that it would be rude not to at least try them on. And would you know it, they came home with me! These are the Hobbs Hazel Culottes (down from £110 to £33).

This top first came out in cream last spring and it was gorgeous. Then it was released in this slate colour for the Autumn/Winter, which is probably slightly more practical. It's a fantastic top being the perfect length with skirts (pleated/prom style) and higher waisted trousers. It's a top that I've had my eye on for a while and at this great price, who am I to argue?  Jigsaw Cropped Shell Top (down from £79 to £23)

I bought these boots in a burgundy/wine colour earlier in the season and they have been great. They are just the right heel height and as well as being comfortable, they are cut quite low at the front, making them work with skirts and dresses, as well as trousers. When I saw that the black ones had gone into the sale, I knew that I could squirrel them away in preparation for next winter. Boden Harper Boot (down from £110 to £35)

Remember the spring wedding that I keep wittering on about? Well I thought that these might be quite nice for that. Shoes with multiple straps are going to be a huge trend for the upcoming season but irrespective of that, I like them because they combine classic leopard with a bit of trend. What do you mean leave them for someone else to buy? Don't be daft!  Boden Cordelia Heel (down from £130 to £41.70)

An interesting flat is always a great piece to have in your wardrobe and it may be that these also get squirrelled away until next Christmas. The first review I read about them said that they were comfortable (big plus) and the next reviewer said that they were very blingy - too much so for the reviewer but I was right in there. Bling away! Boden Embellished T-bar Point (down from £110 to £35.70)


So no I haven't added it up. I'll leave that for Mr SG to do when he reads this at work. No doubt he will come home and tell me how much I've spent but that's entirely missing the point. The point is how much I've SAVED. And I reckon that's quite a bit, so all is good :)

An event to which you are all invited - and a sneak peak at a couple of pieces I will be using....

A few days ago I was walking around our fabulous new John Lewis, taking picture of pieces that I would like to use on the models I will be working with at an upcoming event in Birmingham. John Lewis have kindly agreed to provide the clothes for the event and next Wednesday I will be going around the store with a rail selecting the clothes, shoes and accessories for the event. You know the phrase "a kid in a sweet shop"? Well I think that may well be me.

There were so many pieces that caught my eye and which will fit nicely into the twelve outfits that I will be choosing and which will range in name from "Brunch with the girls" to "Cocktail hour", "Fancy pants" and "Winter wedding".  My aim is to tick as many boxes as I can, featuring outfits which are both casual and smart, with flats and heels, which include some big trends and some micro-trends, which cover a wide price range and which appeal to a broad age range. 

The day before I go to John Lewis, I will be in the Jewellery Quarter meeting with the jewellers who are exhibiting at the event and choosing the pieces to use on the models. It's great for us that the new John Lewis has chosen six local jewellers whose stock they are carrying in a display case. I love that they want to support the City. 

This dress from Ted Baker (£199) is one of my absolute favourites. It's perfect for a winter wedding. The navy colour works so well with most skin tones, the length means no pulling down of tiny dresses, the print is bold but not overpowering and it is also well placed. The dress is just supremely elegant. There's also a skirt in this print too, which is also lovely. I like the idea of it with a cropped fur jacket. As to the lack of sleeves? Even I can manage bare arms at a wedding (and you could still sneak a vest in underneath!!)

Fur coats were a huge trend last season and the colour of this Reiss Alba faux fur coat (£350) is fabulous. I also wanted to show you a long navy sleeveless fur coat, also from Reiss, which is in store but not on the website. It was just one of those pieces to which you are instantly drawn. There was no way that I could have walked past it without giving it a stroke! 

 I also love this Hobbs jacket (£149). For Hobbs I think that it's a pretty good price and whilst clearly it isn't sheep skin, it has a sheep skin look about it whilst the navy stops it being too "1970's football manager-esque". When I think of that, all I can see is Terry Venables in a sheepskin coat. 

I could go on but I won't! As a taster though I have my eye on a LBD from Jaeger, sparkles from French Connection, prints from Damsel in a Dress, stars from John Lewis weekend, bright coats from Maison Scotch and as for the shoes? Oh don't even get me started on the shoes!!!

For anyone who would like to come along, please email mat.lovell@jqdt for a ticket. It's on Wednesday 21st October 2015 from 6pm until 8pm at McIntyre House, Holland Street, B3 1PW, which is located on Birmingham's only cobbled street, which is off a one way street - a one way street which I happened to go down the wrong way whilst looking for it the other day. Ho hum. People in New Zealand and Texas - you are excused from coming! We are hoping for 150 to 200 people and we have some great exhibitors as well as the fashion show, so do please pop by if you would like to. 

Wearing a lovely necklace from Yosa and some printed pants!

"Oooh, that's a pretty necklace" the seven year old observed several times during the course of the day, which I'm sure Rachel, who runs the online jewellery business Yosa would be delighted to hear. She kindly asked me if I would like to choose a piece of jewellery to feature on Style Guile and I chose this lovely Triangular Outlines Necklace which you can see below.

I love big, bold, bright, statement necklaces, and Rachel has a great selection of these too, but sometimes it's nice to wear something which is a little understated. If I'm not wearing a statement necklace, I tend to layer a few finer necklaces together but this necklace is a fabulous compromise between the two as it's substantial enough to hold its own ground without being too bling - and some outfits just don't need bling. Geometric shapes are going to be a huge trend for the upcoming season so this necklace also ticked that box nicely and will do a fantastic job of updating some simple dresses and tops.

Rachel has lots of lovely pieces including bracelets, ear-rings, bags and scarves as well as necklaces and she sends everything out beautifully wrapped. You can find her on instagram as well as twitter and facebook too. There are lots of amazing women out there running small businesses alongside running a family and it's fantastic if we are able to support them.

As to the rest of my outfit, I'm wearing the Felsted print trouser from  Baukjen (£69 in the sale) similar here (£109) which I bought just after Christmas, together with a Hobbs top, Whistles handbag and Adidas Stan Smith trainers. The trousers haven't had chance to make much of an appearance but I'm planning on changing that as they are so comfortable and easy to wear. Oooh and just look at that elasticated waist (which I'm hiding for that very reason)!

A new season must have - How a pom pom scarf can give some ancient favourites a new lease of life...

We all know that a few good staples can work season after season and year after year and for this outfit I'm going to do a quick calculation of the age of my outfit:

• GAP boyfriend jeans, mercilessly dumped last year for the Jigsaw boyfriend jeans but now back in favour - 4 years;
• Hobbs blazer - a rough guess but I would say 4 years;
• Hobbs pale blue knit - again 4 years;
• Jigsaw handbag - used to death, fixed by the Handbag clinic, and now back on the scene - 10 years;
• Boden sunglasses - 3 years;
• Gold Aldo espadrilles - the new kids on the block - 1 year.

Total outfit age: 26 years

But then this Jigsaw pom pom scarf (£59) came along and turned things around, bringing everything back up to date. This scarf is big, big, big and I'll be able to use it as a great cover up on hot days on the beach. Normally I would go for a brighter option, of which there are many but I just liked this shade of grey and the contrasting pom poms. 

Other colours of Jigsaw pom pom scarf....indigo, navy, pink, shrimp and yellow - almost one for every day of the week!

A layered look from H&M and Jigsaw

You know me, I love a bit of layering. In this outfit I've layered tops of different lengths to create a bit of a "look" - rather than just layering lots of tops to keep me warm, which is what I spend quite a lot of my life doing. Unless you're on the leggy side, I think that it's better if the shirt layer isn't too long, or else it can make one's legs look shorter - and then to get a cropped outer layer.

The shirt is an H&M one that I bought a while ago. It was an alternative to a J Crew one which cost a fortune and which was never going to feature in my wardrobe. The sweatshirt is a Jigsaw one that I bought after Christmas in the sale.

I've received a few new things through the post recently which I hope to share with you shortly and I've also worked with some truly lovely ladies recently so there's a lot to share but for now I'm going to have to save that for another day....

Re-working a "not quite right" jacket...and a moral dilemma of the Primark thong variety

Whistles boots, Cos jeans, All Saints cashmere jumper, Oasis necklace, Hobbs jacket, Jigsaw bag, Tori Burch cuff, Kate Spade watch 

Oh crikey me, I feel like such a criminal. I never knew that there was such a moral dilemma to be had on returning home, only to find that you've got something in your bag that you didn't pay for - especially when the item in question was clearly put there by someone else.

Today I was shopping for an event that's coming up at the NEC in Birmingham - or whatever it's called these days. As part of that I bought a pair of wellies from Primark, only to find out when I got them home that they had stuffed, right at the bottom of them, a pink thong. Now that caused me distress on many levels. Not only, by virtue of it being a thong, did it look horribly uncomfortable but the fabric was questionable as well. So what to do? Well admittedly if I kept it it wouldn't quite be on the scale of what HSBC have been up recently but a) I don't want it and b) it's not my size. On the other hand trying to return it could prove a tricky one to explain.

Anyway, I thought that you might like to see a pic of some shoes that I came across when in Primark. Sophia Webster inspired shoes for £16. Not bad!

Loving these sandals too. I'm hoping that the shelves will be re-stocked with them very soon as they had all but sold out.

Hmmm, so there are quite a lot of things that I want to talk about in this post, which hopefully will help. First, the boots. These are the Whistles boots that I bought about two weeks ago now and which I have featured on every single post since. I could swap them boots for another pair before the photos are taken and pretend that I haven't worn them but I think that it's good to bond with new purchases without shame!

Secondly, this bag is a Jigsaw bag which is at least 10 years old and which I had fixed by the Handbag clinic. I wrote about the Handbag clinic at the time but thought that re-cap might be useful. They can fix anything, literally anything (unless anyone tells me otherwise). One friend had her Mulberry fixed by them, having been told by Mulberry themselves that it wasn't possible. So if you have a much loved bag that's seen better days, or has been completely trashed and is unable to be used but you can't bring yourself to part with it, it may be worth giving them a call.

Thirdly - the jacket. It's a kind of tweedy jacket from Hobbs which could very easily morph into a hunting/shooting/fishing type number if I wasn't careful. And a country rah type I am not! So I thought that if I paired it with more modern bits and bobs, such as a statement necklace, a chunky cuff and skinny jeans and boots, people wouldn't ask me where my horse was when I walked down the street. Try it. It can work pretty well with things that sometimes seem to be taking you down a road you don't want to go down.

Fourthly, most of us have a pair of "scale jeans" and these are mine. If I can wear them for an entire day without wriggling, feeling uncomfortable and needing to take them off, then all is well with the world. When they're too tight, that's when action needs to be taken. I try to wear them once a week. Much healthier than getting on the scales.

Fifthly, I know that I look like I'm wearing a tea cosy but it was cold and for some bizarre reason I like this hat - but not as much one Davina was wearing on "the Jump" the other night and which is now out of stock. Shame. Though not for the bank balance.

Happy New Year! - I know it's a little late but there's a good reason for it......

[Outfit: Hush dress, Seven Boot Lane boots, Reiss jacket, Hobbs necklace]

I wrote the following post on New Year's Eve, the Eve before I was cruelly struck down with tonsillitis. I haven't even managed to leave the house so far this year. Soon I'll be appearing on my own TV show "the woman who woke up one day and never left the house again." Actually I lie, I've been out once to go to see the Doctor and can you believe that the first money I spent in 2015 was on anti-biotics? Lucky I didn't have a no spending ban in operation. 

I could have passed this post over but I haven't written anything else, or worn anything that anyone would want to see, ever, so here goes. Hope that you are all keeping well and Happy New Year. Thank you for being such a lovely bunch of readers! 

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I should know myself by now. I should know that when ever there's a big event coming up - a birthday, the day before Christmas, the day before we go on holiday, the day before the NEW YEAR that I get this sudden urge to clean. "Oh" I think to myself, "wouldn't it be lovely to go to bed in clean bedding, to wake up to a newly cleaned kitchen and fresh bathrooms, to have cupboards that are neat and tidy and full of folded clothes." I should know that the tidal wave of needing to clean is on its way but I never anticipate it until WHAM, it arrives and then it's too late. I just have to get on with it.

Which is why I found myself doing all of those jobs this afternoon. I scrubbed the kitchen island to within an inch of its life. I even turned the toaster upside down and shook it over the sink (unwise unless you want a blocked sink), plus I emptied out the crumb trays, cleaned behind the bread maker, took all of the rubbish out, polished the kettle, washed the tea pot and wiped out the fruit bowl, all the while thinking that I needed to be ringing friends and family to wish them a Happy New Year.

We went over to some friends for the New Year and as we were walking there and as it was cold, flimsy glamour was not the order of the day - or night. I've only worn this Hush dress once but it's really warm and with a jacket over the top it gave me the warmth that I needed. OK so the boots are more practical than glam but the pavements were hideously slippery.

I should have pre-programmed a twitter message to go out and I should have written something on facebook to wish you all a Happy and healthy New Year but I didn't get around to it, so I apologise to you, as I do to all of my friends and family for not getting in touch but I'm sorry I was cleaning....

One dress, two different ways and both with blue shoes (although not suede ones in this case)....

This morning I attended a meeting at the offices of a local modelling agency. We were there to discuss the next event for Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, which is being held in October. It's a great event, the aim of which is to showcase the work of the Jewellery Quarter to the rest of the City.  I love this particular event, not only for the fantastic people and the great atmosphere, but also because it means that I get to style models in lots of fab outfits whilst playing with diamonds and other beautiful jewellery at the same time.

Knowing that it was going to be a day of two halves in terms of activities, I wore the  Pia jersey dress from All Saints for the meeting. It's easy to wear, comfortable and can be dressed up or down. For this meeting some blue heeled Hobbs shoes dressed it up (the leather jacket is good for warmth on slightly colder mornings)...

...and for this afternoon's trip of  "back to school" jobs which included children's haircuts, stationery buying and a trip to the Post Office, blue converse dressed it down. Keeping with the blue theme I also wore a lightweight NW3 blazer which I wore a lot last year - less so this - but it was nice to re-visit an old favourite.

How are those back to school preparations going in your homes? I know that some children have already gone back, some are starting tomorrow and others start next week.  For anyone with children starting new schools, at whatever age, good luck!

Casual in Hobbs heels and New Look jeans

 

This morning I nearly relented. I very nearly relented. Well in fact I did relent because you wouldn't normally find me in a soft play area on a Tuesday morning but no, the thing I nearly relented over was wearing winter boots - albeit pale ones. I found them, was about to put them on and then I thought to myself "you've got all winter to wear these and people will get sick of seeing them, so wear something different." That's the good thing about writing a blog you see, it makes you think about what you're wearing - well that is until some idiot goes and sells it all and then all you're left with is a few pairs of jeans and not much else.

Wearing heels to soft play is good though. It's a bit like wearing them to parent's evening, or the dentist or the doctors. You see you don't have to walk far in them but it gives them a chance to make an appearance and for you to feel that you live a slightly glamourous existence, when nothing could be further from the truth. Of course I don't go in the soft play anymore you understand. Those days are well and truly over. No, instead I act as a PA to our eldest two children, making phone calls to book tickets, get t-shirts for the charity run they're doing delivered, order new school uniform (not strictly within the PA job description, more the "Mother" description really but I'll let it sneak in there for now) fill in forms for school trips etc. But it beats the soft play. ANYTHING beats the soft play!

What I'm wearing:  New Look jeans (still some of my favourites, good rise, good price, like the colour, look a bit wrinkly but that's probably me); GAP t-shirt, Jigsaw jersey jacket (they do these every year and they are fab for this time of year  - now £39 in the sale instead of £49), Hobbs NW3 shoes, ChloBo necklace (thank you Marianna Boutique) and Oushka handbag.

A pretty dress and heels, as a contrast to pretty scruffy cut-offs and a top...

 

Last night when I was putting the piles of washing away, I had a flick through my wardrobe and concluded that it was about time to dig out a few favourites that I haven't worn for a while. After all, there are only so many times one can wear shorts and a top before everyone goes "Oh look, she's wearing shorts and a top again. How exciting."

This Reiss dress I've had for probably three years now and it's always nice on a sunny day. I'm also wearing a Paul Costelloe clutch bag which one of my friends gave me for my birthday and some NW3 Hobbs shoes, which I bought at Bicester for about £30 instead of their £189 price tag.

I shall be up early every morning this week getting a few hours work in before the older two surface. However my 6 year old photographer will be taking some snaps of those favourites I have mentioned. I can't promise that I will wear the outfits for the entire day and once that pink front door closes, it's quite likely that those shorts will be donned again. But at least it makes for some slightly more interesting blog posts...hopefully.

Oh and I am trying as hard as possible not to look at the new season's collections that are filtering through because frankly, I want the sun to last for as long as possible and the thought of winter clothing right now is pretty horrific.  However with the "Fall" collections filtering through - you do realise that "Autumn" will soon be a thing of the past when it comes to fashion - I couldn't help but take a quick look at Baukjen and there, predictably, I fell in love with something, namely this jumpsuit, which is £99.  I like to think of it as a more stylish version of a Onesie. Now we're talking!

If you love something enough and keep it for long enough, eventually you'll find a way to wear it!

I think that this Hobbs shirt that I am wearing is testament to the fact that if you love something enough, eventually you'll find a way to wear it. I must have had it for three years or so and I never really found a way that I was happy to wear it - but that was before boyfriend jeans came along - the saviour of many an outfit!  With a white Zara blazer which picked up the white in the shirt, it all came together OK and I enjoyed wearing it. I also think that a white blazer is a good way of "lifting" lots of pieces which could otherwise look a little dark/wintry for this time of the year - what with the amazing summer we are having and all that.

My aim is to get to bed by 10pm because, if I'm totally honest, I have been a little grumpy with certain members of the family this evening (not Mr SG I hasten to add - he's out). Chocolate has assisted somewhat but there's no substitute for sleep so that's why I'm keeping this brief and without links - please forgive me.

The jeans are the Hampton slim boyfriend from Jigsaw and similar shoes are available at Clarks and Dune (I particularly like the cornflower blue ones.)

Sorry, better dash - I'm going to turn into a pumpkin. Or the hulk.

Some lovely pieces from the High Street - sparkles, stripes, spots, sheer, denim and neon brights. Take your pick!

 

After my weekend working with the Touchwood Shopping Centre, I thought that I would bring you some photos of some of my favourite pieces, which I put together in (loose) themes in between presentations. Some of the clothes moved around in the breeze so I had to keep dashing to straighten them before running back to photograph them - so please excuse any wonkiness! I haven't linked to each piece but from left to right, I've listed the brands.

 

The QR code above was amazing. It was able to be scanned and went straight through to the Touchwood Look book. A really innovative piece of PR!

 

Pretty in (shades of ) pink

 

Next, French Connection (x2), Hobbs, Bravissimo, Office, River Island (bag)

 

Soft Citrus Sparkles

River Island, French Connection x3 and French Connection mules.

A type of monochrome

Next, Hobbs, French Connection x2, Bravissimo, French Connection mules

True Blue

French Connection, Hobbs, River Island, French Connection, Bravissimo, River Island (hat and bag) Office (cobalt shoes) Next (striped slippers)

Pale and interesting

GAP, French Connection, Hobbs, Next, River Island

Nineties throwback

All GAP other than jumper (French Connection) shoes and trainers (both Office)

Working Girl

Hobbs, French Connection, Phase Eight (dress and shoes underneath), Hobbs, Next, Office (blue and pink shoes), River Island (bag)

 Tropical prints

River Island, French Connection, River Island x2, Next, Office (pink, blue and green shoes) French Connection (mules)

Chic in White

Hobbs suit, River Island top and bag, Office shoes

I am hoping that there may be one or two pieces there to get you thinking about your spring/summer wardrobe, now that we finally have some sun. Ooh and there's a competition running at the moment, the prize being £250 to spend in Touchwood, which you can enter via their website. Don't let a small thing like distance put you off!

Hunting for silver shoes for you (similar to my Zara ones) at Aldo, House of Fraser and Kurt Geiger

 

After posting this outfit I had a lot of people asking me where I bought these silver shoes, which has prompted me to do a post on similar styles. My shoes were bought from Zara about a year ago now. They weren't very expensive and they're not leather but they are a good heel height and the pointy toe was  bit different - then! I can't find any exactly the same but there are some that are pretty similar....

These Aldo shoes at House of Fraser (£60) were about the closest that I could find in terms of price, heel height (although they look a little higher than mine) and toe shape. The T-bar part is lacking but other than that, they are really similar.

The Kurt Geiger Yasmin courts at House of Fraser (£220) are similar in style too, with a crocodile print worked in there. Quite a lot of the Kurt Geiger styles are on sale on the KG site so it maybe worth looking there for a cheaper option if you really like them.

For a block version heel, also with a crocodile print, these Ella shoes at Kurt Geiger are a nice option, and they are down to £49 from £195.

The Mercada shoes at Kurt Geiger are down from £220 to £109.  They have a pretty jewelled strap, which would work really well with rolled up jeans.

The Maniah silver shoes by Kurt Geiger (£95) have the T-bar but not the closed in toe. I love the studded ankle straps and the heel height is good. Great for those with slim ankles!

The Millie sandal by Hobbs NW3 (down to £75 from£129) is just a lovely everyday sandal, rather than necessarily being similar to the style that I am wearing - although they could be worn in just the same way and with their block heel, they are probably slightly more versatile for the day time too.

 

And following on from my post on wooden and cork soled shoes the other day, I love these wooden silver shoes by Kurt Geiger (£120). They have a really great day time heel height to them and will instantly update jeans, utility trousers, cargos and chinos for the spring.

Finally, although this post is meant to be about silver shoes some prefer gold, so these gold shoes by Kurt Geiger (£55) have earned themselves a place for their price, heel height and shape and general all round versatility.

I really hope that you have enjoyed some sun over the weekend. It makes such a lovely change doesn't it? Tomorrow I am working on a short film/promotional video and I see from the call sheet that as part of that, I will be working with a.....horse. Hmmmm - I'm not quite sure which end I would rather be.