Outfits that make me happy and keep me warm! And a little something for my wardrobe...

 

"There's nothing worse that tights that don't fit properly" were the words of wisdom imparted by the 6 year old on the way into school this morning. And you know, she's absolutely right. I replenished her tights stock at John Lewis yesterday but clearly I got it slightly wrong. I like it when the girls have lots of new school tights. It makes me feel like a competent and organised mother.

I even looked at buying one of those gingerbread houses to make at Christmas as that would have made me a competent and organised mother but in an entirely different stratosphere. A domestic goddess no less. But then I looked at the instructions, realised that all that icing bag and piping nonsense was probably way beyond me, that it would look like a two year old had done it, that no-one would eat it and that I would finally put it in the bin mid January cursing what a waste of time it had been.  And then where would my well performing mother role be? No, sometimes knowing your limitations in life is a good thing.

I spent a huge amount of time in the shops last week and these were a couple of the outfits that I wore. They're not drastically different to one another and largely comprised of basics to include navy Whistles trousers, boots (black or navy) a jumper (sparkly or roll neck) and a jacket (Whistles: top photo, or Oasis and Zara: bottom photo).

On my rounds I came across too many things to mention but this Oasis snowflake jumper (£42) caught my eye. It's much nicer in really life - more vibrant and sparkly and the longer length will be preferred by many.

I also absolutely love this New Look fur duffle bag (£22.99), to the point that it may be finding its way into my wardrobe sometime fairly soon.

Hope that everyone's week has got off to a fabulous start!

A nod to the sixties with Dune patent shoes and a Jaeger Boutique dress

 

We all know that there's a bit of a 60's thing going on at the moment and it's an easy trend to tap into without looking too try hard. Many will already have some block heeled shoes and if not, there are plenty of them around this season. One option is to wear them with some cigarette pants and a fitted jumper, maybe with a Peter Pan collar or, as I'm wearing above - an A-line dress which is slightly above the knee.

 

Here's how to re-create the look:

 

Take one Boden Ottoman shift dress...

add in a Cos rounded collar mock shirt (£29) - which will give any round neck dress, or crew neck jumper, a 60's feel (don't tell anyone but I was in Bon Marche today with my Mum and they had some lovely crew necks - 2 for £20 no less! Oh and did anyone else realise that David Emanuel, as in Princess Diana's wedding dress designer, did a range for them?? Random!)

and the Dune Affina court (which has a little block heel)....and there you go. Job done!

Of course I appreciate that this look may be the last look that anyone wants to recreate but I wanted to copy one of those recipes at the back of the Saturday supplements which show you how to take three ingredients and cook a five course gourmet meal for 25 people in 10 minutes and you think "yeah right, do us a favour" - but seriously, my version is actually achievable!

Aldo espadrilles for the last days of summer...

I have half had my eyes out for some decent espadrilles since the start of the summer but had pretty much decided to park them for now and pick the search up again next season.

When they first appeared on the scene I couldn't get my head around them at all - too much like Cliff Richard in "Summer Holiday" for my liking. Well that and teenage boys in shorts and vest tops. I'm not quite sure where that image came from but it was one that I definitely couldn't shift.

Anyway, then I came across some Penelope Chilvers ones whilst on holiday in Guernsey and my view towards them started to change. The problem was that whilst they were pretty, they were hugely uncomfortable. They weren't lined on the inside, so it was like walking on a straw bale. They were also deathly flat and I don't really do deathly flat - there just too much cankle going on for that.  

 

But then when I was in House of Fraser the other day, I happened upon these espadrilles - the Aldo Fesien (£65). Initially I balked at the price but then I tried them on and I started to get it. They're made of leather so much harder wearing than the canvas or fabric ones that I have come across. But most of all they had a 3cm height sole, which stopped me from feeling as though my bum was scraping on the ground. And oddly, on researching espadrilles further, very few of the Dune, KG, Steve Madden or Bertie ones are in the sale, which is slightly odd.

They come in this black hair finish....

...as well as these gold snake print ones which I am wearing above.... 

....and these rather lovely leopard print ones...

 

Initially I was slightly concerned about the sizing. The size 5 was great on one foot but a little snug on the other, so I brought them home wore them around the house for a while, put some shoe trees them over night and today they were a great fit. Being such soft leather, they have given slightly so the risk paid off (this time). We've all had those occasions when it hasn't!

Anyway, I suspect that I won't get much wear out of them this summer but they will be ready and waiting for me next summer. I won't pretend that they will go with everything but they are probably more versatile than I might initially think. I'll pretty much wear them in the same way as converse - so with skinny jeans, shorts, wide jeans and possibly the right casual dresses and skirts.

And for those who don't need the assistance of a slightly built up heel a la Tom Cruise, there's these fab Enzo Angiolini alternatives on sale in House of Fraser, reduced from £60 to £15 - and they come in half sizes. If I had the legs I would so go for these! I've searched online and don't seem to be able to find them so perhaps they are in store only - or perhaps they've all been shipped to Birmingham but here's a link to a better pic for anyone who fancies taking up the search.

Never, ever again will I wear these.....and looks what's opening tomorrow!

Never, ever again will I wear these flippin' skinny jeans. Although I love the feel of them, they constantly fall down and there's nothing more annoying than having to keep pulling your jeans up. Fortunately my top was long enough not to worry about flashing anything that I shouldn't when bending over - although I had to keep on checking as it felt as though I was. Having said that, they did only cost £10 from Primark which I was happy to pay as I wasn't sure whether they were something out of which I would get a lot of wear. However now that they've proved themselves....it's time to ditch them. How bad is that? It's a good job that clothes don't have feelings.

However, they will soon be replaced. First on my hit list are the waxed skinny jeans from Boden £69. The reviews of these are brilliant and I am very much looking forward to getting a pair of legs that don't look anything like my own! I have to say that the main attraction is the high rise on them - belly warmers here we come!

Alternatively I may give the Mint Velvet coated skinny jeans (£79) a try but to be honest, I never really feel like stripping off to try on jeans when I am out shopping, so perhaps I'll wait and see what the Boden ones are like.

And as for the Primark skinnies - we've had some good times but I will happily wave them farewell.

Now, I should add that I spent hours in the shops today and I have a million ideas for blog posts and even more things to show you all but there just isn't time tonight. However hopefully I will soon be able to do a round up of what's out and about and what caught my eye. I'm gathering from your emails that lots of you have been on shopping missions of your own, so please do feel free to share any gems that you have come across on your travels. Ooooh and our new Whistles opens tomorrow. Look how exciting is this?!!! (It's not a bad pic of the coat either, for anyone who wanted a closer look).

An outfit round up....

 

I seem to have so many different projects on the go at the moment that I haven't managed to blog for  a few days. So, I thought that I would bring you all up to date with a 3-in-1 type post.

Over the years I've realised that it doesn't matter how organised you are before the children go back to school, there are still lots of jobs that don't get done, so I purposefully left the labelling (of the iron on variety) until this evening. Happening upon the  cardi of our youngest stuffed in her PE bag and needing a wash wasn't so much part of the plan but not to worry. Oh and I've just been told that one of them needs a stitch in their blazer pocket. I think that a raised eyebrow conveyed my response adequately.

Some of you with eagle eyes may recognised the NW3 purple jumper from the blog sale. It wasn't snapped up so I decided to wear it. I didn't own the trainers, necklace or the t-shirt when I bought it but now they all worked together. So that was one new outfit sorted.

Keeping with the theme of boyfriend jeans, yesterday we took a trip into town to get the requisite school trainers and rugby boots. I think that the prospect of a visit to Sports Direct is what gave me my deathly pallor! Anyway, Stan Smith trainers (which are uber comfortable) with a lace Warehouse top and Boden jacket were fine for that particular little jaunt - which also involved a visit to the Build a Bear Workshop. No visiting the new Whistles store for me. Tomorrow however will be a different story!

And today I was photo bombed by an angel! Now, the top that I would ordinarily wear with this Jigsaw skirt is mine no more, so I wandered into shirt territory (GAP) for a change. Neither converse nor trainers seemed to work with it all so the Birkenstocks, which are now sadly on their last legs, stepped into the breach.

 

And as for tomorrow - who knows what it will bring in terms of an outfit. As for my activity for the day, it's shopping all the way. Yipppeeee!!

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!

A Denim and Chambray outfit for a casual kind of day....

I couldn't quite get it together today. Sometimes when I start the day by doing jobs, with the result that I get showered and dressed slightly later than usual, it doesn't work too well. I started off with a skirt, or two, or three, but ditched all of them. Then, to avoid a fall out of the apocalyptic kind, I went for the simplest of simple of combinations of trusty jeans (GAP) -  a trusty shirt (GAP) - and very trusty shoes (Carvela), all of which were in a very neutral colour palette. OK to some it may be boring and lacking a certain edge but that's where the benefit of normcore comes in. A trend of understated simplicity - it's perfect for those days when you can't get it together or you can't be ar*** because the outfit can be passed off as the ultimate look.

One of our activities for the day, as well as buying school shoes and doing the food shopping, was to go swimming. Luckily the floor blended quite well with my colour scheme for the day. My lovely new basket came along for the ride and if you look carefully, it contains the bikini which I featured on here a couple of weeks ago now. Much to my surprise, it's now my swimwear of choice.

And just look at the numpty who can't even dress herself properly after the swim. Tragic!

Two of my two favourites coming together - Diet Coke and ASOS plus THE perfect gift!

I'm on a list! Finally, I'm on a list! Actually I'm on a lot of lists, such as "the people who have been on a speed awareness course" list but this is a list that I really like being on. It's the Diet Coke bespoke gift pack, list.

In all honesty, if the criteria for being on the list is how much Diet Coke a person drinks, then I think that I have earned my rightful place. Put it this way: if I was like a flamingo, and if my skin colour was the same as the colour of the food/drink that I consumed, I would be Diet Coke colour, which actually sounds quite appealing to me.

To celebrate the launch of "Treasure Hunk", which is a collaboration between Diet Coke and ASOS,  I was sent this fabulous personalised T-shirt that I'm wearing, together with a personalised crystal-encrusted Diet Coke bottle and a crystal ring- pull necklace.  I love personalised things, from my "Bethy G" necklace from my friend, to my plastic "Elizabeth" bowl, which my eldest bought for me for 50p at a service station on her way back from a school trip a few weeks ago - I love them all.

In a nutshell, Diet Coke and ASOS have collaborated and each day, ASOS will hide Diet Coke "Hunks" in unexpected places across the ASOS site. To find them you will have to crack clues given on the Diet Coke Facebook Page and ASOS.COM and put the answer into the ASOS search bar.

If someone is logged into the ASOS site and finds the hunk, he will appear wearing a Diet Coke T-shirt with the customer's name on it. Ha, that could certainly brighten up a rainy day! Customers can win a host of prizes including limited edition personalised "Share a Diet Coke" bottles encrusted with crystals and customised ring-pull jewellery.

However, the ultimate prize is a bespoke nine-carat, rose gold, diamond encrusted ring pull pendant worth £4,500 designed by award winning jeweller Katie Rowland.  At the end of the six weeks, one winner will be chosen to win the necklace. So to those who enter, good luck!

Oh, and to anyone at Diet Coke reading this, last year I promised my husband's PA that I would find her a bottle with her name on it (I tend to spend a lot of time rooting through fridges of Diet Coke bottles) but still I have failed to do so, if there's on with "Gaynor" on it, could you please point me in the right direction? Thanks ever so!

A birthday outfit and a very "boy-like" comment...

 

Whilst we were in Cornwall, I celebrated my birthday. For some reason, I keep thinking that I am a year older than I am, so when I was asked how I felt about being 44 my response was that I felt great, because I keep thinking that I'm 45. Next year bodes quite well too because then I will only have reached the age that I already think I am, so really it's all shaping up quite well on the age front. Until I'm 46 that is.

 

The cupcakes were ordered by my husband from the restaurant but he was so eager that I should also have a dessert that they weren't brought out until after dessert had arrived - hence both the cheesecake and the 12 cupcakes. Sugar rush! (I think that it's still going on.)

This is the outfit that I wore when we went out - it's a Hush dress, Oushka clutch and Zara heels, although I must admit that I ditched the heels before I even put them on and wore flop flops instead.

There was some great improvising on the wrapping paper front. What could be better than having your pressies wrapped in pages from Grazia - and the current copy no less?!

 

I was treated to this lovely Kate Spade watch and wore it with a stack of friendship bracelets from Accessorise. Predictably, I immediately fell in love with the pink detailing on it.

 

And for once the sun shone, and shone and shone!

I wore this dress on our last evening and also for our journey to Guernsey. I wrote about it fairly recently as it being a favourite that I have had for many years.

Mr SG very rarely comments on what I am wearing (although I am sure that he has plenty of thoughts!) but he did say how much he liked this dress and how well it fitted me and how (wait for this) it was less "tent like" than the one that I wore the evening before ie the Hush one. I gently reminded him that the term he was actually after was "more fitted" rather than "less tent like". Boys!

A day out in London and a tale (there's a surprise) about a dress

There's a story about the dress that I'm wearing at the bottom of this post which goes like this....

On Monday I was working in London. Being as hot as it was, I decided that I didn't want to travel in my fancy pants gear so instead I opted for GAP shorts and top, plus trainers.

On arriving in London, I decided to walk the 3.5 miles from the station to the venue, so I was pleased to be wearing these Nike trainers. I plugged myself into my ipod, set the sat nav on my phone and off I went.

On the way I passed the London eye....

The Shard...

Tower Bridge...

And the Tower of London

But most importantly, I saw a women wearing this dress, which I recognised as the GAP striped shift dress (£19.99 in store). So the very next day, when doing my returns in Birmingham, I bought one.

And here it is! Lovely cotton and fully lined, here I'm wearing it with my Jigsaw skater trainers, which oddly is also how the GAP lady is wearing it. I promise that I didn't copy her!

Thanks to everyone in London for such a great time and apologies for the lack of photographs from the event. Once I got there (having set the alarm off in the lift - oops!) it was time to set to work.

A little bit of Primark, Jigsaw and Kate Spade

There wasn't time to blog last night and with the weather being as beautiful as it is, I'm desperate to get to the shops to buy a picnic so that we can all go out. My Mum is coming today and I'm thinking of taking her to the Botanical Gardens and sticking her on one of the mobility scooters so that she can do her best impression of Gangsta Granny. That is until she has her new knees at which point she'll be doing the ironman.

Yesterday it was pretty warm but not boiling, so I took the opportunity to wear the type of outfit that most people can wear when it's 15 degrees but for me it needs to be 20 degrees! Primark coated trousers, Mango sandals, Jigsaw jumper and Kate Spade bag.

I can't wait to decide on today's outfit. It won't be anything glam but maybe, just for one day only, I'll drop below four layers!!!! Enjoy the sun.

Re-designing my Peter Pilotto sweatshirt....

 

This top started out as a sweatshirt i.e. it had sleeves. I bought it when the Peter Pilotto for Target collection was launched and although I loved the blue and white print, I really didn't like the print on the sleeves. With a trip to Cornwall and Guernsey coming up, and with its fleecy lining, I knew that it could have a place in my wardrobe but not in its current form. So today I made the decision to chop the sleeves off. And here's how it went:

Get one top and one pair of scissors....

Try on the top and get a rough idea of where you want the finished length of the sleeve to be, then cut a bit below that so that there's room for a turn up;

Use the chopped off sleeve as a measure against the second sleeve so that they end up pretty much the same length. Two minutes later, job done!

Kirsty flippin' Allsop, eat your heart out, you're not the only one who's good with a pair of scissors. (I wonder whether she would think of using the chopped off sleeves as leg warmers though? I feel  a Flashdance moment coming on!)

A zesty yellow and white outfit combination....

 

Although I work every day, I don't work with clients every day. Some days are spent planning and shopping for events, returning clothes, writing, responding to new enquiries and liaising with brands and companies. When those days arrive I don't need to dress in the same way that I do when working with clients, so that opens up a whole new wardrobe to me of dress down items.

Clearly today was one of those days and I looked to my favourite battered (not in the fish & chip sense) jeans, Topshop yellow T-shirt and white Zara jacket. I love a white and yellow combo as it's so fresh. In fact I'm such a fan of yellow at the moment that I'm trying to work a little more of it into our kitchen.  On raiding the cupboards I found a couple of storage tins from Selfridges which have the requisite yellow lids but other than that all I have come up with are a rubber duck and a tube of tennis balls. I don't think that I'm quite there yet.