It's chunky, it's grey and it comes from Zara....

Give me a chunky sweater with a turtle neck and a bell sleeve and I'm there! Just as I was with this Zara bell sleeved sweater (£29.99).

Yes I know that I look a bit fuzzy in the top pic and a bit dweeb like and nerdy in the bottom one. I have no idea what was going on but sometimes you've just got to go with the flow and roll with the punches (as they say). I think that it was the absence of a bag. I just don't know what to do with my arms. But then again frankly my biggest concern these days is not scaring you all to death with my wrinkles. The rest I can deal with.

I do like the jumper though. Its modern shape is good plus it's soft and snuggly and I seem to be wearing it a lot at the moment. The anthracite grey is also a good colour - it has depth without being black.

It also comes in a maroon colour which makes a pleasant change from the usual black/grey/navy/camel options at this time of year. For now I'm going to leave you with a lovely picture of a young girl wearing said maroon jumper, who really won't be scaring you with her face. I can feel your relief!

A winter wardrobe essential - the chunky of chunkiest cardigans, a lovely boho dress and a vlog so that you can see it all in the flesh!

With its slightly chillier mornings, September is the perfect time of year to wear a chunky cardigan - rather than a coat. This is one that I picked up in Zara last week (£39.99) which isn't on line quite yet. However fear not, it features in this new vlog post where you can get a closer look at it, plus ideas on where to find other similar cardigans together with ideas on how to style them.

Boho dresses are a huge trend this season. There's a Monsoon one which is currently getting a lot of coverage but for something which is nodding towards the boho trend without being too full on, there's this Zara printed dress (£39.99) which also features on the vlog along with the cardigan.

I really hope that you like this vlog. I've tried to include a couple of good styling tips as well as showing the clothes (on me....eeeek!) so do let me know what you think!

My arsenal of weapons against the April chill...

"Are you cold Beth?" came the shout across the pub when I walked in yesterday to book a table for Mr SGs b'day today. The shout came from my friend's very witty husband, which was followed by a quick retort from my friend that he knew nothing about fashion. But in fairness he was right - I was cold and I was dressed for it. In fact having got dressed once, I nipped outside to test the temperature and returned inside muttering the words to myself "I refuse to spend all weekend pretending that I'm warm when I'm not," so off came the new Boden top and on went a pale grey La Redoute cashmere jumper, GAP boyfriend jeans, a Jigsaw pom pom scarf and Zara boots. I suspect it was the scarf that elicited the comment from Gok - its scale does mean that it makes its presence known!

I must admit that, along with a cream leather jacket, lighter coloured cashmere jumpers and some big cotton scarves (all of which are a little more spring like than their darker/heavier winter counterparts) a pair of pale ankle boots is a necessity in my arsenal of weapons against the spring chill. In all honesty mine could do with replacing and these are pretty strong contenders...

Mint Velvet mole zip ankle boots (£139). I like the low cut on these because a little bit of ankle flash is nice when it's spring, however they still offer some protection against the chill.

Ditto the Mint Velvet leather Eva ankle boot (£139) - I do like a more neutral coloured heel rather than the darker heel on mine but when I bought mine they were a bit of an experiment and they were definitely worth their £30 Zara price tag.

The Mint Velvet Stella ankle boot (£149) have an elegant shape to them and some detail with the buckles. Again they are a great colour but I don't think that a bit of protector spray would go a miss on any of these.

Sorry that there are only 3 choices and that they are all MV but for what it's worth I think that they have the best selection at the moment and I'm sure that anyone who likes the idea enough will do a bit of surfing and come up with some fab options of their own. Here's hoping for a slightly warmer week...

An outfit cheat - wear some bling, chuck on a fancy top, throw in some colour and sneak your favourite jeans in via the back door...

A few days ago now we were celebrating the birthday of our youngest, who is now a very grown up 7. In keeping with a family tradition, we all piled in to Pizza Express. Obviously my finest glad rags were not required but I thought that the age old cheat of wearing some bling, putting on a bit of a fancy top and chucking in some colour would do - hence the double rose gold necklace from Livto (£27.99) - currently sold out but I'm pretty sure that there will be some back in stock soon - a leather top which was a birthday present and a yellow Kate Spade bag. Luckily a little effort on the top half meant that I could get away with my super stretchy Whistles jeans so there was plenty of room for pizza (and for breathing). Always handy.

The 12 outfits of Christmas, day 5 - sparkly sweatshirt dress

[Outfit: La Redoute dress, Damart gilet, Jigsaw shoes, Whistles bag]

I love this dress because you can eat shed loads without worrying whether anyone is going to ask when the baby is due. And it's sparkly! Also I can layer a long sleeved top underneath it which adds warmth....

...and I can put a fur gilet over the top which makes it even toastier, which can be great on these chilly nights.

A relaxed shape such as this sweatshirt style dress but with some sparkles or a print is a good way of being slightly glam but in a comfortable way. Looser shift style dresses and dropped waist dresses are also a great way of achieving this. What they lack in a fitted shape you can make up for by adding in some heels.

See you tomorrow! x

The 12 outfits of Christmas, day 3 - from day to evening....

This is one of those outfits that can take you from the day to the evening quite easily. During the day, it's a simple outfit of a pale grey cashmere jumper and dark grey skinny trousers. For the evening I added a silver/grey jacket, a grey statement necklace, boots with a bit of sparkle on the back and a clutch bag. I wore this to the ballet and whilst heels would have made it slightly dressier, there was a risk that I was going to have to carry our 6 year old from the theatre to the car, which would have been a disaster in heels.

One way to take your outfit into the evening is to add a darker lipstick. For today's gift I'm showing you the Bobbi Brown art stick in electric pink (£19.50). I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago and for me it's a real winner. It comes in eight shades and being like a big, fat crayon, it's easy to apply. It's also easy to increase the depth of colour by layering it up. Equally, I use it in the day time but I apply a layer of gloss first as that makes it slightly lighter, more sheer and less heavy than otherwise.

Anyone hit the sales yet? They're everywhere with some more biggies starting soon, so keep your eyes open!

Yeeee-haaa! Slappa my thigh in my knee high burgundy boots!

 

Although I've been writing Style Guile for over four years now, I think that you would be hard pressed to find any outfits where I've worn knee high boots. For the last few years I haven't really been a fan of them - not on me at least - but slowly the tide is turning. I guess that ankle boots just took over for a while but then I came across this La Redoute pair of heeled/slightly slouchy boots that were gifted to me by them last year. I always loved the colour of them and with burgundy/ox-blood being a big trend this season it prompted me to give them a whirl. In theory (or in my head at least!) they should also work with my striped navy and white Whistles skirt - time will tell!

For similar try these from La Redoute (£169)...

Or there's this pair, also from La Redoute which at £44.50 are half price.

Let me know what you think and how you get on!

Shades of grey in cashmere and a silver cardi/jacket to keep the cold at bay.

 

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope that you have managed to consume sufficient quantities of chocolate to make it feel like Easter, rather than just a normal chocolate type day.

A brief, but fruitful, shopping trip to Bicester distracted me from the usual Easter activity of chocolate for breakfast (well, when I was 9), lunch and dinner but there's plenty of time over the next few days to make up for it. 

As you know, I have been concentrating on outfits that offer warmth but which aren't too winter like in appearance. Some fabrics, such as denim and leather, aren't particularly warm in their own right but they act as a good barrier between you and the cold.

Today's combination centres around cashmere and a cardi (actually it's a soft cardi style jacket but I like alliteration!) the two of which together offer some real warmth. I love cashmere for it's warmth and softness although not to the exclusion of all other fabrics in an "Oh darling I only ever wear cashmere" type way but it is nice for a treat. Worn with jeans and these slip on plimsolls from Jigsaw (£59), which were really comfortable given it was their first outing, I was good to dodge the rain at Bicester. Normally I would add a statement necklace for colour but at the moment I quite like layering a couple of special silver necklaces that I own.

Now this was a lovely surprise from the children - a selection of my favourite chocolates, and crisps, for me to munch my way through. Can't imagine that will be a problem!

Mr SG and I were clearly singing from the same hymn sheet when it came to choosing Easter Eggs for one another. What I can't work out is whether we each chose that particular egg because we thought that the other would like to receive it, or because we would have liked to have received one ourselves. Either way, I can confirm that it is very tasty. (Well, his is. I haven't opened mine yet!)

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Christmas Eve sparkles!

 

So the five of us did our run this morning complete with elf hats, Santa hats, reindeer and Christmas tree headbands and we did look utterly and totally ridiculous but it was certainly memorable.

I had planned on wearing a different dress today but then decided to go for sparkles so I wore my sequinned sweatshirt dress from La Redoute (now £57 instead of £95) and La Redoute sparkly boots (£89) with a statement necklace from Topshop. The dress and boots (below) are both comfortable enough to wear for the household jobs and baking that I wanted to do, whilst still OK to wear to see friends later.

As to today's gift. I love receiving really pretty notebooks. Shoes, bags and jewellery are great but memories are priceless. All too often life passes in a haze and it's nice to record those special moments, even if it is only occasionally. Each year I encourage (OK, bribe/force) our three to write about their Christmas day. I can remember some Christmas days from when I was little but not many, so hopefully, when they are wise old owls like me, they will appreciate having taken the time to record their memories. Paperchase has a great selection of notebooks and this one is £6.

Hope that you all have a fabulous Christmas Eve. Not long to wait now!

The 12 outfits of Christmas - Day 6 - Camouflage trousers and a Whistles Parka

 

We made it to Wales and guess what? It's blowing a gale and pouring with rain but secretly I'm quite pleased as I wanted to try out my new navy Whistles parka.  So far so good - it's warm, it kept me dry and the hood is brilliant, which sounds a ridiculous thing to say but it is substantial and doesn't blow off at the first sign of wind. Having looked online at both Whistles and John Lewis I can't see it, or else I would have included a link. And please excuse the dreadful photo - there are only so many times that I can ask the children to step outside into the rain and gales before giving it up as a bad job. I should add that the fact that I'm quite happy about the bad weather isn't at the expense of the rest of the family, who are equally happy to sit around the fire and watch films.

 

I also wore Gap camouflage trousers today to ring the changes from jeans and the cropped Other Stories jumper is probably one of the warmest that I own. The black ankle boots are from La Redoute and I didn't really have time to faff about with handbags today so I just picked up the clutch I used last night and brought it along for the ride.

 

As for today's gift  - either for your own Christmas list or to give to someone else - I love these cuffs from Aspinal of London. The top one is the Roma Cuff Bracelet (£79). It comes in several colour ways. The second one is the Venus Stingray Cuff Bracelet (£125). Aspinal has a seriously fabulous selection of cuffs, so much so that I have also included a link to the full collection.  A piece like this can really take an outfit from a plain one, to a fabulous one, so they are well worth the investment (especially if someone else is making it). I did not say that.  

 

 

Softly does it - cashmere, cable knit and tweeds in pale shades of grey, blue and taupe

 

I'm conscious that a lot of my outfits have been pretty much head to toe black of late, so today I lightened up a little. There's still not much colour going on, more a palette of pale blues, greys and taupe.

I didn't manage to get around to wearing this tweed Hobbs blazer much last winter, so as it's not too cold at the moment, I thought that it would work fine to my quick whizz into town to do some Christmas shopping. It also allowed me to revert to my default outfit of jeans/denim shirt/grey cashmere jumper, which was a nice change from sequins. Although I fear that they will be making an appearance again very soon....

Outfit: Hobbs blazer, La Redoute cashmere jumper, New Look denim shirt, Gap jeans, Zara boots, Mulberry bag, Gap hat.

Another outfit from the Clothes Show - A Tux Jacket and Panelled Leggings

 

Just a quick one tonight as now I have finished my five day stint at the Clothes Show, there is lots to catch up with at home!

I wore this outfit on one of the days that I was working. All of the clothes are from La Redoute and the outfit consists of the Jersey Tuxedo Jacket (£41.30), a black sweater (£11.50) and coated leggings  (£11.90).

I have to say that I loved wearing everything. I liked the long line lapels on the tux jacket and also the fact that it was jersey, so it was soft and not too restrictive. The front of the jumper is lovely and silky and it looks far more expensive than its £11.50 price tag. As to the leggings, I liked the fact that the panels were more like coated jeans, rather than faux leather, as I preferred the dull finish to them. Some of the faux leather ones are just too shiny and plastic looking. The other good thing about them is that they have pockets on the back, which means that (on a good day) they could be worn with a shorter top.

Here are some slightly clearer pics of the pieces that I was wearing...

The long line lapels are really flattering, creating a long, lean, line (oooh, don't you love a bit of alliteration?!)

The front of the jumper is silky, whilst the sleeves and back are knitted. This also comes in other colours, some of which have studs on the front.

I've included this picture not so that you can admire the fine tucking in of the shirt into the leggings but rather so that you can see the finish on the panels more clearly.

Really hope that everything is coming together for everyone on the Christmas shopping/wrapping presents/making mince pies front. Having briefly watched a little Jamie Oliver and Nigella, I've given up as they make me feel too inadequate. I wonder, is anyone else off to buy some mince pies and smash them up with a rolling pin and dust them with icing sugar for that home made look, as per the book?!!!!

The Clothes Show - An outfit from day 2

This is the outfit that I wore on day 2 of the Clothes Show - which seems like a lifetime ago now. It has been a whirlwind of presenting, making videos, interviewing people and watching the girls from Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model have fights, throw tantrums and cry in the loos.

As I'm working with La Redoute, they asked me to choose pieces from their collection to wear. You can find the skirt here (currently priced at £41.30). It was great to wear - really comfortable and there wasn't any sequin shedding. Here I'm wearing it with a grey, three quarter length sleeved  jumper with a collar. Although it's from one of their less expensive ranges, it's really comfortable. I'll try and give you the link to the jumper tomorrow.

It's my last day at the Clothes Show tomorrow, so I hope to bring you another outfit or two sometime soon (there's a bit of catching up to do at home!) plus some of my favourite pieces from the La Redoute range.

The Clothes Show!

Today I was working at the Clothes Show, where I wore this sequin sweatshirt dress from La Redoute (£95 down to £66.50). I really like this dress. Whilst obviously it's totally OTT sequin wise, the sweatshirt style dresses it right down, so it's perfectly "do-able" in the day time. Not only that but the style is quite relaxed so it's comfortable. And warm too. A double winner!

It was a great day, with lots going on. I even managed a quick chat with Poppy Dinsey who runs the blog What I Wore Today. I remember seeing Poppy on "Lorraine" quite a while back now and thinking how articulate she was, so it was nice to say hello in person. She was lovely - very natural looking, very down to earth and with some great views on blogging - and in particular, cyber bullying.

I also saw someone from TOWIE, or Made in Chelsea, or something like that. I only know because there were loads of girls trying to get their photo taken with him. Tomorrow will be hugely busy so that should be fun. I'm really hoping that I can catch Caryn Franklin talking with Poppy and others on the Fashion Panel. Like many, I remember Caryn Franklin from the early days of the Clothes Show on TV. She has some great views on fashion so we'll see what she has to say......