Style Guile Sale Part 2!

It's been a while since I've said "hello" so I thought that it was about time that I made a brief (and somewhat slightly scruffy) appearance.

I may have a sewn monkey hanging behind my head (that's the browny thing in the background) but at least I've swept up, changed the door mat and planted up the pots so I feel a little more organised....sort of.

Thank you to all of you who emailed me about my blog sale for Coram. Almost everything has been sold now but the good news is that I've just uploaded some more pieces, which you can find on my "Style Guile Sale" page above. Thank you so much. I promise that your money is going to a wonderful cause and you get a lovely new item for your wardrobe too so it's a win win!

Outfit: Gap boyfriend jeans, Zara denim shirt, Jigsaw boots

My answer to everything: wear a blouse with a bow. It just makes you feel glam even when nothing could be further from the truth. Life looking out from the pink front door is great.

Looking in however - it's a big old mess. But look at our lovely loo. Great colour huh?!

Navy, navy, navy - 3 navy coats from Jigsaw

The plan wasn't necessarily to come out of Jigsaw with a navy coat when I went to spend the vouchers that I had been given but I quickly realised that there were three that I liked. And then I thought to myself that if I liked them, then you might too.

Now I realise that a Jigsaw coat is not an everyday purchase and whilst it's fine to say "Oh, it will last for years and it's an investment" if it's not do-able then it's not do-able. On the other hand, one of these may just be what you've been looking for or they could provide inspiration for an upcoming shopping trip. So let's kick off. First of all I'm wearing the collarless column coat £229

I have to say that this coat felt absolutely beautiful on. The fit is gorgeous and very flattering plus it's made from 100% cotton which could work fantastically well for those who prefer natural fibres. It's just one of those coats that instantly makes you stand up smart.

The only issue for me was how much wear I might get out of it.  If I worked in an office I would be there like a shot and although it would look great with jeans I just felt that I might not reach for it too easily when dashing out of the door on the school run. As to sizing, I first started off with an 8 which was fine but the 10 had just that little bit more room.

Next I tried the raw edge jersey coat (£229). I'm not quite sure why it's called a jersey coat. The composition is 73% wool and and 27% polyamide so it's not a reference to the fabric. Maybe the styling? I don't know but anyway this was the softest coat that I'd tried on in a long time.

This coat is an absolute beauty - perfect for this time of year with enough room to fit a leather jacket underneath and not at all restrictive.

The sizing of this coat is quite generous and I'm wearing an XS. One of the reviews comments that it is expensive for what it is and I do understand that it's not lined and despite being wool it isn't a very heavy weight coat but it is beautifully soft and it falls well. So that's all to go in the melting pot! 

The final jacket doesn't seem to be online. It's a great piece - a little edgier being a bomber style at the back (particularly with the ribbing at the waistband) but with a straighter jacket front minus the ribbing at the waist.

The fit of this one isn't great on me as it's a size 10 and also as it's shorter, I tend to feel a little more exposed. But I really liked it nonetheless and if I could have had two this would have made it home with me.

So that's my little Jigsaw coat round up but there were plenty more that I loved, from this cream belted cocoon coat (£249) to the double faced jacket (£249) and this long sleeveless jacket (£179).

Thank you so much to everyone who has entered the M&S competition which I published yesterday. Although you may not have heard back from me, all of your entries have been received and you will be entered into the "hat".  Do keep the entries coming and tell your friends - or not perhaps. I'll let you deal with that particular moral dilemma!

That was the week that was - a little bit of house, a little bit of fashion and a competition coming your way soon!

Going for a bit of a biker look in this Reiss jacket that I've had for about 6 years but which fits so well, an H&M skirt, Boden roll neck and Whistles gloves and biker boots. 

Hello my lovelies, how are you all? I hope that you've had a lovely Mother's Day. I know that for some it can be a little bit of a sad and emotional day so I'm thinking of you all and sending you lots of love. I started off my day by running with a friend (lovely) dropping in on another friend (lovely - for me at least!) and then coming home to....dye the grey out of my hair. Ho hum! 

The rest of the day was fabulous though with lunch out, a wander around John Lewis, a home made chocolate cake with chunks of toblerone in it and crushed maltesers on top (yum) and some lovely pressies. My treat to myself is to check in with you all to say hello and to give you a little update - for there's a lot going on! 

Just prior to the work starting

As you may have gathered, we are having some work done to the house. It's a 14 week build project which was due to start last Monday, however we weren't really sure until three days beforehand whether it would start or not.  So, at the 11th hour we had to arrange for the downstairs of the house to be cleared and the furniture sent to storage. Last weekend was fun.

 Getting ready for the builders - I knew that the gin would come in handy.

The night before the work was due to start, we had fireworks to mark the occasion and to say goodbye to the house as we knew it. 

It didn't take long for the builders to get cracking.

Monday morning carnage.

Despite being a family of five, our house is "usually" fairly relaxed and calm but last Monday morning I had about 12 men in the house; the builders started ripping down the conservatory, there were skips arriving, the electrician was making the house safe, the plumber was moving and re-plumbing the washing machine, the alarm chap was dis-connecting certain sensors, the carpenter was building false walls and me? I stood paralysed behind the kitchen island, took a couple of photos and ate a WHOLE LOAD of chocolate. As for Mr SG?

He went to work leaving his sour dough to rise amongst the chaos. As you do. 

No more conservatory! It leaked and there's nothing that Mr SG hates more than a leak. They drive him round the bend.

Two days later, the conservatory was down. It's fair to say that the house is looking a pretty ugly place right now but hopefully in three weeks or so the new build will be up with the roof on and then it should start to look a whole look better. In the meantime I'm frantically making mood boards for the new utility room, study area, dining area and living area. For so long it didn't really seem that anything was happening and then all of a sudden we're meant to have chosen everything. Help! And sadly now that the living room is empty it's clear that the carpet is in need of an update so that room might just need a bit of attention. Such a shame.

Whilst in John Lewis today I seemed to lose a couple of the children.

Jigsaw trousers, Topshop jumper, Zara cardi, Accessorize scarf, Whistles boots.

This photo was taken at the end of the week - I'm just about still standing (unlike the conservatory). But with working, trying to sort the house, training for the marathon (we're up to 24 miles now so quite happy about that) and so on I'm not getting the time to blog as often as I would like. And I miss you all!

However I've got some great posts lined up - an exclusive competition with M&S to win a gift card of £100 for you and a friend, a new jewellery brand to introduce you to and an inspiring story from a reader who used her FitBit to help her to lose 3 stones.

Have a lovely week everyone and I hope to be back soon. x 

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 :)

A Quick Outfit of the Day...warm and comfortable is fine by me!

Remember the Jigsaw jumper dress and Karen Millen pleather leggings that I said I would probably wear from now until April? Well here they are again ! The outfit worked for our trip to see Joe Wicks so I figured that it would work for a Pizza Express birthday party. The gloves are from Whistles as is the bag (both sale items from last winter and last summer) and I can't remember where the hat is from but frankly I just need to wear a hat all the time right now. My hair is driving me nuts. I fear that it will be chopped again sometime very soon.

And I thought that I would share with you great insight and self awareness from the now 8 year old.

"Mum" she said "I'd love to be Sports Captain or House Captain at school and I've told everyone about it."

"Oh that's lovely." said I "Who chooses who gets to have these roles?"

"The teachers."

"Well you need to tell them too then."

"Oh, they would never choose me. I'm far too irresponsible. I mean, have you seen the state of my room? It's meant to be tidy and it looks like a pig sty."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, offer encouragement that that wasn't the case....or tell her to go and tidy her pig sty like bedroom. It amazes me how children can suddenly become so wise and have such great insight about themselves.

I'm hoping to nip into town tomorrow for a last quick whizz around the sales. Anyone on the lookout for anything in particular?!

A Jigsaw jumper dress, Karen Millen pleather leggings and an evening with "Joe"!

Some may say that I was the lucky one, getting to meet Joe Wicks, the author of Lean in 15 and soon to be global superstar (I just said that for effect but it could be true) but actually he was the lucky one because....he got to see my new Karen Millen leggings and Jigsaw jumper dress. Honoured he was. Honoured. 

[Asking Joe a highly intelligent question? Knowing me, probably not.]

Somehow I managed to get tickets to Joe's book signing in Birmingham. I booked them before Christmas, not even knowing whether my friend and I had even the vaguest notion of getting there. With six children between us and with the book signing being at 6pm on a Tuesday it looked unlikely but the respective hubbies came up trumps.  

For those who don't know of Joe, he's the biggest fitness sensation for years. His 90 day Shift, Shape and Sustain plan has been signed up to by 90,000 people, he advocates 4 or 5 HIIT sessions a week which last for no more than 20/25 minutes, he posts his workouts on YouTube and his recipes on Instagram via short vidoes - and all of this has happened in the last couple of years. Now there's a book with two more later in the year. He is currently everywhere - on the radio, TV, magazines, newspapers. He's even been on Lorraine. What more can I say?! 

Come on guys, no need to fight it out over a"Lean in 15" book, there are plenty to go around.

The first thing that struck us about Joe is that he wasn't as big as we thought. On his YouTube workouts he looks about 6ft and very broad but he's actually quite slight. And he's not as big as his instagram persona either - in fact he seemed quite shy. Poor guy, he probably didn't know what had hit him. I have to admit that we were slightly hyper but I think that was because we were out at 6pm on a Tuesday as much as anything else. Living life on the edge again. 

So, as to an interesting interesting fact about Joe, he finished the London Marathon in 6.5 hours and was overtaken by a pair of testicles. Again, what more does one need to know?! 

Having a chat with Joe whilst he signed my book. It's weird when you've spent so much time looking at someone on a screen (I do quite a few of his HIIT sessions via YouTube) and then you meet them in the flesh. Like there's a danger that you'll be overly familiar or something. 

And here's a slightly closer/slightly blurred look at the outfit which was taken the following morning. Well, I had only worn it for a couple of hours the night before. And it's so warm and comfortable that this is it for me now until April. 

 

I don't think that I've ever been in an Instagram post with 2,384 likes before (now 4,828) - and am probably never likely to be again. Spot the grinning idiot?

We can be hereos just for one day....

This post is only a little bit about David Bowie but I do love "Heroes" so that's why this post is titled the way that it is. 

Today I hit the shops, for the first time since Christmas really. Part of it was work related but part of it was to "assess" the sale situation. If anyone thinks that they've left it too late for the sales - think again! Most stores will be going into final markdowns next week and there are some fantastic bargains to be had.

But of course, one of the (many) things that I really loved was this outfit from Jigsaw. It's two separate pieces made up of these Jigsaw cubist drape culottes (£139)...

...and this Jigsaw cubist drape top (£89)

As I've previously mentioned, we have a spring wedding to go to and this outfit appeals to me on a number of levels. For a start, an April wedding could be boiling hot or freezing cold. If it's cold, I can layer the top up with a vest or two underneath and a jacket over the top. If needs be, I can wear leggings (but obviously so that you don't see them) under the culottes, or tights and if it's really freezing, oxblood knee length boots. On the other hand if it's hot, I can go with a bit of  fake tan, bare legs, strappy sandals or high courts (for some reason I'm thinking metallic/silver), lots of bangles and I'm all done.

But the fun doesn't stop there. Oh no! After the wedding these babies will be worn separately. The culottes will be paired with chunky flat sandals, ghillie flats or trainers and the top will go over the new leather (look) leggings that I might just have bought today. Ooops. More about those another day...

And I'm kind of wondering whether I may have taken leave of my senses but I also really like this Rose Gold dress from Reiss (reduced from £195 to £95)

I'm thinking that it might be quite a nice dress for next Christmas (did I really just say that?) Others might be thinking that it looks a little bit like their Granny's curtains. But I've always been partial to a little damask/brocade.

And somehow, I can't quite leave this post without mentioning the sad passing (actually I can't use that word, it sounds like someone is going to the loo) - death, of David Bowie. His music was distinctive and oddly comforting.  He was always there, a part of my 70's childhood and somehow invincible - in my mind at least - as if he was almost other worldly. Oddly we have been talking about him a lot in our household recently as our youngest shared his birthday, which was only on Friday, and our eldest is learning about him in A-level Politics. No doubt he will be missed by millions in a million different ways but for me, the start of the Snowman will never be quite the same again. May he rest in peace.

Christmas fun in the sun but it's GREAT to be back!

Top: J Crew/ Shorts: Home made Topshop cut offs/ Sandals: Aldo/ Sunglasses: Jigsaw

Call me a bit of a bah humbug, but, pleased as I am for people when they're on holiday and I'm at home in the rain, there's a part of me that finds it mildly annoying. So I will try very hard not to be one of those annoying people!

I did try to post this when we were away but the wi-fi wasn't having any of it, so this is really a bit of a catch up post. Other than the odd shorts pic, I've tried to keep it relevant to what you might be thinking of wearing in the UK or perhaps buying in the sales. The evenings were slightly colder when we were away, so it gave me a chance to wear pieces which, with a tweak, could be worn at home.

It was great to wear my Topshop denim jumpsuit again. It has become a firm favourite for travelling in as it's so comfortable. If I'm too hot I just take the top down (yes I do wear a vest underneath!) tie the arms around my waist and I'm good to go. Really I could wear it at home but I quite like to keep a few things just for the warmer weather as it's always so nice to re-visit them when the season changes.

This outfit is made up of a pair of Boden sequin joggers (limited sizes available), which I recently bought plus a Zara jumper, and Banana Republic shoes, all of which were sale purchases. The Accessorize bag was a present from a friend for my birthday. Stick me in top toe navy with a bit of sparkle and all of it being comfortable and I'm as happy as Larry. And given that our holiday was all inclusive, the elasticated waistband (oooooh, sexy) didn't go a miss either! If I swapped my shoes for a pair of silver heels, this outfit could work equally well on New Year's Eve.

Here's another warm weather favourite - a Hush dress. It's probably not quite warm enough to wear this at home right now but I did wear it at the back end of the summer with pale grey suede Jigsaw ankle boots and a little knitted jacket, which put a nice spin on it.

This playsuit outfit is obviously one that is too chilly to wear just now but I've included it because I bought it in the Baukjen sale just after Christmas last year. Again, being all in one, it's one of those uber comfortable pieces which I can wear in the day, or dressed up a little for the evening.

And here's an outfit that no-one would ever want to be seen in - summer or winter, day or night, rain or shine. But when you're up a volcano and it's chilly, you just have to stick on whatever is to hand - and if that includes you son's (clean) socks with your sandals, so be it.

And moving on to a vaguely - OK so totally - ridiculous outfit. Here's another gem!  

 It was fantastic to be away but it's amazing to be home too, catching up with friends, getting back to my running and we had our own Christmas Day number two this afternoon which was fab.

I hope that you have all had a wonderful time and that you have plenty more exciting things lined up between now and the New Year. It's good to be back with you all. Beth x

Blatantly pinching an idea from the Whistles website...

It's a long time since I've worn a dress over trousers. I used to wear outfits like this years ago and never really thought that I would do it again. But then the Jigsaw striped dress that I love suddenly seemed too short on its own and I saw a picture on the Whistles website of a similar outfit here.

I did feel a bit bad about my lack of originality but then the words of an elderly lady who came to one of my M&S presentations rang in my ears..."Nothing in fashion is new any more. It's all been done before. I didn't like pussy bows the first time around, or the second and I still don't like them the third time around" and then I didn't feel quite so bad about pinching the idea from Whistles. Plus it's always good to re-work some old favourites don't you think?

Oooh and before I forget, I published a new vlog today which you can see here. It's only fairly short but hopefully it will be of help to some of you. If not quite a few of you!

Until next time, have a good one. x

Growing old (dis)gracefully - a blog and vlog on how to style yourself in your 40's and beyond....

Today's vlog is all about Fashion for the Over 40's. There are a lot of "rules", myths and views about what we should, or shouldn't do, once we reach 40, so I've just spent five minutes or so talking about what I've learnt during my six years as a stylist (and my 5 years as an Over 40!)

I'm hoping to follow the vlog with a series of "How to Wear..." vlogs, the first one of which is a work in progress at the moment, so do keep your eyes peeled. If you would like to subscribe to my YouTube channel you can do so by pressing the "subscribe" button on this page which will mean that you will automatically get updated as and when a new vlog appears. And if you think that any of your friends or family would be interested in my musings, please feel free to share the vlogs. Equally if you have any feedback or if there is anything that you would like me to cover, please just drop me a line. I'm also hoping to do a series of "30 second styling tips" too - so we shall see where that takes us!

I've definitely come to the conclusion that as we get older we care slightly less what others think - subject to us feeling comfortable and confident, which is something that I cover in the vlog. A few years ago I would never have posted a picture like this. I would have been too scared that someone would say something horrible. Not so much anymore - I've figured that it always says more about the happiness, or otherwise, of the person leaving the comment than it does about anything else. And anyway I have to keep the 7 year old entertained or there will be a revolt.

On Instagram people seemed to like this jumper that I was wearing today. Despite the fact that it's a good few years old, it's still available at All Saints (£78). It comes in 6 shades, mostly varying shades of neutrals/greys/black but also in terracotta too. I suppose that you could say that whilst it's on the pricey side, it does have longevity. And if that's not good justification for buying something, I don't know what is!

A bit of back detail never goes amiss!

I  Hope that you have a lovely Sunday Evening. Any Downton fans out there? I'm banned from watching it with Mr SG and our eldest due to my quips at its expense. Oddly for one who spends his life taking the mick out of things, Mr SG does not find my quips funny. Can't imagine why. Beth x

Does my bum look BIG in these trousers? Oh yes, it does! But at least the two cream jumpers aren't quite as bad...

One day soon I will take these boots off, I promise. But not just yet. When the rain and mud arrive, I shall pop them back in their box but for now they are just perfect for the scooter run to school.

I've just posted another vlog (which can be viewed here) in which I'm wearing the cream cropped jumper that I've featured above, plus the cream cable knit jumper which you can see below.  I think that I'm a bit jumper obsessed at the moment. There's nothing like being prepared is there?!

I'm also wearing a denim shirt (which in the end I decided to keep, despite my reservations!) and a pair of spotty trousers which, talk about "Does my bum look BIG in these?" Oh boy yes, it does! In fact HUGE would be a better description. But I think that I've tried to explain why that is and how it can be fixed. (It doesn't include surgery for the record.)

Zara cream cropped sweater (£17.99)

Zara cable knit sweater (£29.99)

Sorry, I'm going to have to scoot now. I'm trying to watch Dr Foster on catch up and keep getting distracted from typing. Isn't it fantatic?!

Have a brilliant weekend. Beth x