A metaphorical walk through the summer season at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens...

(Outfit: Gap trousers, French Connection shirt £45, Stan Smith trainers - all current)

Yesterday I styled and presented a charity lunch for 200 ladies at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens - a place which is dear to my heart and which will probably be known to many of you. The glass in the glasshouses is 100 years old and desperately needs replacing, so the aim of the lunch was to help to raise money towards the £1m target. I was invited by the Trustees and the Gardens' PR Company to style the event way back in February and it was lovely to see everything come to fruition at last.

I always start such busy days in really casual, practical clothes because there is a huge amount of running around to do before an event starts. I usually end up getting changed in a cupboard about two minutes before we start, which was exactly the case yesterday.

The function rooms at the Botanical Gardens have recently been re-furbished and they looked amazing. It's a great venue for a wedding or function and the gardens are so beautiful that you can be sure of fantastic photographs. So much thought and effort went in to making everything look fantastic which was no mean feat for small but very dedicated team.

The clothes for the event were lent to me by House of Fraser, Reiss, Jigsaw and Karen Millen, with bits and bobs bought from other brands.

This is a very grainy shot of the ladies in their "Ascot" look but I like the relaxed feel to it. We had a couple of press photographers so I will share some more photos at a later date. During the event we took a metaphorical walk through the summer season, covering looks for a wedding, Henley, a trip to the tennis plus a festival or picnic. Some of the hats for the Ascot look were provided by Sally from Sharper Millinery. For anyone who needs a hat for a special event, Sally is the lady to contact!

Although I had been doing the groundwork for several weeks, the clothes and shoes were finally collected on Monday, taken home to be hung up and organised, packed and taken to the event on Wednesday, packed and returned home Wednesday night and re-packed to be returned to the stores today. This is how I was looking this morning - a little wrung out I think - and still wearing trainers, albeit different ones, for more dashing around town.

(Outfit: GAP trousers, Jigsaw coatigan £149, Whistles scarf  £45, (all current) Nike trainers, Kate Spade bag - older)

A whizz around the High Street for a dress, some boots, jewellery, jeans and most importantly, chocolate!

 

 

Boden coat, Nike trainers, Kate Spade bag, Gap trousers, Topshop jumper

There are a few very non specific things that I would like to share with you today. Things that keep on popping in to my head that I keep meaning to write about and then I forget. So here goes

These GAP skinny high rise jeans (£44.95) are a must have in the run up to Christmas. Once they're on they don't shift. There's no hoiking them up, needing a belt or wriggling around. And if you do happen to have been left a little extra flesh curtesy of a baby, you can tuck it right in. Mine aren't as loose as this on the leg but I guess that's models for you!

Upselling is really annoying. After Clarks tried to flog us wellies and slippers that we didn't need, today BHS tried to flog me a teddy bear that I didn't need, or want. In fact it was impossible to move at the till for flippin' Teddy Bears. And they were hideously ugly. Chocolate, maybe (in fact come to think of it, that often works in WH Smiths) but a Teddy Bear. Really?

This Phase Eight dress (£79) is a really great dress for lots of different occasions. The sleeve length is flattering as is the length of the hem. It has some texture to it so it's slightly broken up and the ruching works. It's a great "dress up - dress down" type of dress - create the illusion of a V-neck with a long pendant, wear with bright shoes, metallics will work well as will sparkles, dress it down with knee boots and a long line cardi, layer a striped top underneath it and wear with flat pointy shoes. The option are endless!

This Kate Spade bag (£245) is a real beauty. I was looking at it in Selfridges today and was intrigued to know whether a bottle of Diet Coke would fit into it. So I took a quick look inside and thought about it. Then I concluded that there was quite a strong chance that they wouldn't really appreciate me shoving a bottle of coke into a brand new bag, especially given that I'm not always that great at putting the lid on securely. So I'll put it on my Christmas list and ask Mr SG to check out that very point instead.  Te-he.

Can anyone please tell me why it is that I like these Adirondack boots by Ugg (£220)? They are so not me but they just look so sturdy and warm and comfortable and they are sheepskin lined (I copped a feel earlier). I can see that I'm going to have to drag our son kicking and screaming to more rugby training just so that I have an excuse to buy them and wear them. Although I must admit that standing on a rugby pitch, just so that I can wear a particular pair of boots is a little extreme, even by my standards.

 

This range of jewellery by Z for Accessorize is really lovely. Not everyone is a glitter bunny or a statement necklace queen and there are some lovely delicate pieces in this collection which could be layered together or worn on their own. It's reasonably priced too so would make a lovely Christmas present. Worth a look despite the shocking images!

 

Bracelet (£15)

 

 

Galaxy trio pendant (£15)

Hope that everyone's week is going well. I've made a great start to Christmas - a pink sequin tree decoration and a huge chocolate Christmas tree from Hotel Chocolate. Well, I figured that some families spend a fortune on joints (of the meat variety) at Christmas but we'll just spend it on chocolate instead. Oh and if children of mine are reading this, hands off, you're having Cadburys.

Running gear for when the temperature drops...

It was suggested to me by some readers that it might be a good idea to write a post about what to wear when running in the cold winter months, so I rose to the challenge and asked some running friends of mine for their tips and, together with my own tips, hopefully we have come up with some useful suggestions.

Between us we must have run thousands and thousands of mile. The friends that I spoke to have run marathons which include London, New York and soon to be Florence, along with half marathons which include Birmingham, the Great Parks, Stratford, Bath, Long Marston and no doubt several others.

Aside from what clothes to wear I would say that good trainers are a must. Generally trainers come up small so it's good to try them on before buying them. Running clothing can be picked up for a snip at Primark and until you get into longer distances, really great wicking fabrics aren't that important but from day one (I would say) that everyone needs decent trainers - not of the standards of Olympic athletes, but decent.

So what was the advice and what were the suggestions?

One friend always runs in compression clothing and in winter, that includes thermal compression clothing. She sometimes wears the leggings the day after a long run too. Her favourite brand is Skins. Beware, apparently the clothes can be tricky to get off though, particularly the tops!  Having never tried them I can't really comment but if I decided to train for a marathon I would definitely give them a go. With longer distances and colder weather, everything helps.

  

 

I wear capri length running bottoms all year round and I have a couple of GAP pairs that I really like. Something like these from GAP (£15.99) work fine for me, although I do like a splash of colour on them somewhere if possible.

 

Another friend said that she felt that the winter was all about layering. She has a thermal Nike Dri fit top which she loves as it's really soft.

I always start off with a very fitted running vest top, just to keep everything in place and snug - maybe something like this from GAP (£22.95)

On top of that I wear a long sleeved lightweight running top - maybe something like this from H&M (£24.99) or the Helly Hansen range of base layers is really good.

 

On top of that I wear a waterproof/windproof jacket, maybe something like this Gore windstopper jacket (£112.49) which one of my friends absolutely swears by. I have a Reebok one bought from an outlet in Brighton about 9 years ago now for £10 and it's brilliant. Another friend loves a jacket with detachable sleeves so that she can turn it into a gilet for those days when only core warmth is needed.

 

For less expensive options, H&M and as I mentioned earlier Primark, have a good selection of running gear as does Decathlon. Sports Direct has a huge choice of Karrimor running gear, which not surprisingly is made of great fabric.

As to hats, most of the girls find that they make them too hot when running but the neoprene or fleece bands are useful for adding some warmth and keeping unruly, curly, hair under control.

Lightweight gloves were suggested for looking after hands. When it's really cold I run in leather gloves. The pain on a cold day when the feeling comes back to your fingers can be excruciating so anything that can prevent that level of cold in the first place is a must.

Oddly none of us seemed to have different socks for summer or winter running but there again the most comfortable ones are padded and quite thick anyway. One of the girls preferred the double layered ones as they prevent blisters. I picked up four pairs of running socks in GAP when they were reduced to £1.99 each and they have been just as good as some running socks which have cost me £12. After wearing proper running socks there's no way that I could run in anything else. They are one piece of kit that, for relatively little investment, can make a huge difference. 

We didn't seem to chat about bras. I think it very much comes down to the level of support required. Some vest tops have a built in bra which will be sufficient for some.  I always wear a bra too, although not a sports bra which I know I should. However I've never found one that I'm comfortable with. I must investigate them again but frankly I'm not sure that they're going to rescue anything anymore! Here's a link to technical running socks and bras for those interested.

I have one friend who is a real ninja in the Sweaty Betty sale and she picks up some great running pieces. They are really stylish and look great. I haven't quite made it to the lofty height of SB yet, only having bought my first set of "matching" running gear last year, despite having been running on and off since the age of 15.

And one friend swears by leaving layers on her route and collecting them on her way back. Apparently no one ever steals anything from allotments!

The juxtaposition of a smarter jacket with jeans and trainers

Outfit: Mango jacket, Nike trainers, New Look skinny jeans, GAP clutch

 

Golly I've got gremlins in my computer today. Nothing is loading properly, things keep on crashing and it's all generally a bit of a dog's dinner but nevermind.

 

I was in town for most of yesterday working and (as usual) I wanted to be able to dash here there and everywhere.  Compared to shoes, trainers are just a million times more comfortable and I hate my speed being impeded by my choice of footwear, so the Nikes made another appearance.

 

For something similar, I really like these New Balance 574 pop safari trainers from Schuh (£70) and even more I love their year long returns policy, which is great for those who are indecisive/live a long way from town/need a while to locate their lost receipt. These trainers also come in more muted colours as admittedly these aren't for the faint hearted.

 

 

The Mango jacket that I am wearing was nearly returned several times but now the jacket and I are good pals. It doesn't get a huge amount of outings but whenever it does, people always comment on it (usually in a positive way!) It just seems to catch people's eyes and I always find those things really interesting. Whenever I do an event there are always a few things that pretty much everyone, without exception, gravitate towards. Anyway, that aside, I like wearing a smarter jacket with trainers - it's that whole juxtaposition thing that it so big right now - and more importantly a smarter jacket stops me (well almost) from feeling such a scruffy bum!

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).

Does anyone else like blue as much as I do?! I've illustrated the point with pieces from Whistles, Jigsaw, Boden, Hush and GAP

I have friend who refers to her Mother in Law's house as "The land of brown." Everything in it from the carpets, to the crockery, to the candlewick bedspread, are brown.

I've decided that my wardrobe should be re-named "The wardrobe of blue" because so many things in it are blue.  My love of navy arose many, many years ago - as did my dislike of brown (other than pieces that are in leather) - I blame the 70's!

As to other shades of blue, I remember buying a pale blue top from Whistles in 1998 on a hot weekend to Leeds, just days before I found out that I was pregnant with number one. That explained the weird feeling that I had all weekend! I didn't possess that many clothes then and I loved that top. It was worn and washed until it went frilly around the bottom.

Anyway, these are a few of my favourite blue things at the moment. First off, there's the Lisa dress from Hush (£60). It's just arrived and I have yet to try it on but that day will come soon. I fear that it won't look quite the same as it does on the lady below!

I treated myself to this silk front sweater from Jigsaw (£89) with my Mother's Day Gift Card (it's amazing how far that seems to be going!) I'm really looking forward to wearing this. Just need somewhere to go now...

 

Ah, now I have my eye on these - the geo print trousers from Jigsaw (£89). I think that they will work well on my hols with my Boden sparkly sandals and I fancy some wide legged trousers for a wardrobe freshen up.

Eh, you can't beat a bit of navy and when the sun comes out and the legs are a little less blue than they are now (blue legs are one thing I'm not so fond of) this navy tube skirt from Whistles (£55) will be good to go.

For a sunny day, this blue Chambray dress from Cos (£69) with its 60's neckline and neat fitted shape will be a good backdrop to lots of different accessories.

This sweatshirt top from GAP (£19.99) is also a current favourite and now you can start to see what I mean. There's a lot of blue going on right now.

 

For a beach cover up, the Birkby Liberty print dress from Jack Wills  will come into its own. By the time I finally ended up with the right size, it had been reduced to £54, down from £79 - so it was worth the wait.

Over the years I've flirted with lots of different colours. We all know that I have a penchant for pink, am mad about metallics, go crazy for coral, am nuts about neon and and I love lilac - see I'm in lilac here (it's not blue)....

...but I always come back to blue.  Some colours make me feel positively unsettled. We once moved into a house where the living room was decorated in a shade of terracotta. Needless to say it was soon changed - to duck egg blue.  I just couldn't sit in it. Other colours make me look like my days are numbered, or in this case, up completely. (Not that I don't love these cropped cashmere cardis from Boden (£89) and they do have some great colours - but you get my drift.)

Currently I have my eye on these Liberty print Nike trainers from Office (£74.99) and guess what, they're blue.

But then I also really, really, like these printed shorts from GAP - see, no blue! Maybe all is not lost. However on many other levels, it so seriously could be (aged 43, three children, legs on show hmmmm)! Maybe I'll just wear them when it's boiling hot and blame it on sunstroke....

..or maybe I'll just buy some in blue. 

An outfit for a day of shopping - trainers, knitted hat - bit of a bag lady look really!

 

Yesterday I spent many hours shopping, looking at all the lovely new spring collections and taking masses of photos of my favourite things.

Although it wasn't that cold, it was wet and there's no room for an umbrella when I'm dodging from store to store with arms full of bags, hence the GAP hat. As I'm also carrying a slight knee injury (which I'm trying to ignore) and knowing that I would be covering a lot of ground, I opted for trainers. The snood is less hassle than a scarf which can get caught in my headphones when I'm listening to my cool music (or would that really be Woman's Hour?) A cross body bag is so much easier than a shoulder bag and the hearts on my New Look jumper add a splash of clashing colour to my trainers.

So that was that - it was warm and comfortable and it gave a slight nod to that well known, and much coveted, "bag lady trend" I think.

There are some lovely things in the stores right now.....

A school run outfit of Nike, Boden, Gap and All Saints to help with sore toes!

You may remember that I mentioned that I had somehow inadvertently ended up training for the Birmingham half marathon. Well last night saw us run 14 miles in preparation for it - just to be on the safe side. The reason that I tell you this is because it directly impacted on today's outfit.

 

My purple Nike trainers were the softest thing to wear against my slightly sore toes for the walk to school this morning. Feeling the need for warmth, comfort and the clothing equivalent of a hot stew, I also wore my Boden cashmere striped jumper together with skinny jeans and an All Saints mac. The thought of a clutch also appealed more than a handbag, so I used my snake print Marc Jacobs neon clutch instead. I have to admit that I am coming perilously close to buying a onesie to wear after the event (but don't tell anyone).  

 

Having done only a few long distance runs, I can't pretend to be an authority on them but through trial and error, and taking on board what others have said, I have found a few things that help in preparation. So for anyone interested, here goes:

• An hour's nap in the afternoon is a good plan (sneaky I know but I did our last 13 mile run after a six hour shopping day and that was really, really, hard);
• Carb loading on fresh white home baked rolls and butter an hour and half before running seems to work and it is also slightly indulgent;
• Jelly babies are good to nibble after about 10 miles and are a good distraction (but they make you really thirsty and your teeth feel horrible);
• Chatting on and off makes the time go much quicker (we tried to convince ourselves that we were in our local pub, which worked to an extent but certain things were missing ie alcohol);
• The Endomondo app is good for providing information of your speed for each km run, which oddly acts as a good motivator. It also enables you to see your speed as you are running. Naturally we concluded that it wasn't entirely accurate and that the signal failed somewhere along our tree dense route so that we were, in fact, actually faster than it gave us credit for;
• Running in trainers which don't have holes in the bottom of them is probably a good idea (well, how often are you meant to check the bottom of your trainers) and good running socks are worth their weight in gold.

If anyone else would like to share their tips I would love to hear them. Anything and everything is welcome! I would particularly like to know how to convince yourself that you are running at night time (which I much prefer) even though you are running in the morning. I'm thinking about wearing sunglasses but I'm not sure that it will work.

A Zatchels offer for London Fashion Week

Many of you will be familiar with Zatchels - perhaps you own one, perhaps you have been pestered for one by a teenage daughter, or maybe you've spotted them on the world and his wife. Not only do these lovely bags come in a satchel style but also in a saddle bag and rucksack style. Increasingly popular, they come in fabulous colours too.

To mark London Fashion Week, Zatchels have a promotion running up until midnight on Tuesday 17th September. So, for anyone who falls into the category of wishing that they owned one but not quite having got there yet, this may help you on your way. Just enter FASHIONWEEK at the checkout to receive 20% off you new Zatchels bag.

As it so happened, I was using my Zatchels yesterday. It's a lovely grey one which was gifted to me after I wrote about a different offer that Zatchels ran in April. Sadly I don't think that it will remain mine for long as I fear that I am about to "gift" it to another member of the family.

Trainers were definitely the order of the day yesterday as the previous day I had been in London (more about that later in the week). That wasn't so much the problem as the fact that I had decided to wear, for the first time, new Zara boots minus socks. Even before I shut the front door, I knew that it was a totally daft thing to do but did I go back and do anything to fix it? No, of course I didn't. I wanted to wear the new boots, for which I have paid the price!

Anyway, with the trainers I wore a navy Zara skirt, striped lilac French Connection jumper, All Saints mac and Gap scarf. As you can see, there was a bit of a purple/lilac theme going on.  The trainers did their trick for me yesterday but every time I look at the boots I can still feel the pain!

Mum on the Run - A Friday wish: Please, when will it be warm enough for me to wear this without freezing to death?

I just want to say a big hello and a big thank you to everyone who came along to the event last night in aid of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer. It was a great evening with lots of chatting and laughter. I would imagine that there were probably one or two sore heads this morning, which is always a sign of a good night out.  

 

Crikey, it was cold today. These photos were taken just after we had arrived home from school, having run all the way back to get warm. We were due to go straight out again but not before the youngest nipped up to her bedroom to get her fleecy hat and gloves, which she needed as it promptly began to hail.

 

The sun lulled me in to a false sense of security before I went out for this afternoon's school run. Thinking that it would be fairly warm outside I wore a mac but that didn't cut the mustard at all and it will be relegated to the "not quite warm enough to wear yet" pile when I am packing for our weekend away in Brighton (which is what I should be doing now so I will quit wittering soon and get on)!

 

As to the rest of the outfit - having had two late nights in a row (I know, rad or what?) I felt that a walk to school would be good so really it went from the trainers northwards, to Hobbs jeans, a couple of lighterweight (ie not warm enough) jumpers, All Saints mac, Gap scarf, Kausar bag.

I think that the late nights were reflected in my pallor - either that or the new make-up that I have bought is too pale for me, which is a near impossibility, so I felt the need for colour, hence the scarf/bag/trainer combo.

Right, I had better go and get on with that packing now. Cheerio and I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.

Mum on the Run - Testing out the new Nike trainers

With the other three due back from ski-ing today, I knew I was in for a busy morning as I had to try and make it look as though I was on top of my game. I had a lemon cake to make (I find that making a cake always makes it look as though you are in control), shirts to iron, washing to do and a stew to make. I also had to empty out my husband's car, which he keeps immaculate but which was slightly less so after I had used it - but then we are talking a weekly hoover and clean, a special leather cleaning kit, no food or drinks allowed - you get the gist.

 

Despite the foot of snow in the back garden, I just couldn't face any more thick socks and sheepskin boots around the house. I figured that I had to make some kind of bid for freedom from the shackles of the winter weather and having taken delivery of a pair of these some time ago now...

 

 

...I thought that it was time to wear them. I wasn't sure how I would get on with them but having put them to the test, I found them really comfortable and I liked the slightly over the top bright fuchsia and yellow combo. For their first outing I broke  myself in gently, purposefully keeping the rest of the outfit plain, with a Warehouse sequinned jumper, H&M breton top and Gap skinny jeans. Maybe next time I'll slip in another colour.

So that's another recent purchase shared. More to follow tomorrow... 

Mum on the Run - I've found them, oh yes I've found them! The perfect (Nike) trainers!

On 13th January I wrote about my latest style inspiration, that being our 5 year old daughter's Clarks trainers.  Sad, I know but I just love them - and not particularly for any sentimental reasons (how bad it that?) but just because I like the style.

 

 

Being in possession of several pairs of converse, and with any new pair being eyed eagerly by our 14 year old to the extent that they have to be closely guarded, I decided that it was time to branch out into some non-running trainers. I try and walk to school as often as possible and given that it often involves running alongside a scooter, or running along side a five year old (I wonder if I have gone overboard on emphasising how good exercise is for her!) it's good to have shoes that I am not going to be tottering in, especially as we are often passing stationary traffic, where the potential for ridicule is great.  

 

So, since that post I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of trainers and these were the criteria:

They could not be white - that would make them too much like running trainers, of which I already have a pair;

I didn't want them to be flat (which ruled out Adidas Gazelles and Puma classics) but instead I wanted a slight "incline";

They needed to be a bit nerdy/1980's retro. Why, I do not know, but there we go;

They had to cost as little as possible.

 

So far I have trawled Office, Schuh, JJB, the new Sketchers store, Asics, Adidas online, Topshop, Asos, Gola, New Look, River Island, Nike for Liberty - and they are the ones I can remember - but to no avail.

 

And then this morning it hit me! Sports Direct! Now we are lucky (or unlucky) enough, depending on how you look at it, to have one close to hand. I both hate, and love, that store with a passion. It's great for the children - reasonably priced swimming goggles, shin pads, football boots and so on but the experience is pretty dire and you have to be in the right frame of mind to enter the building - which often I am not, not least because it is located right next to the Ann Summers store and I am frequently fielding difficult questions as we go over the threshold.

 

However, online it is a completely different experience and that's where I found these gems. They are exactly what I am after and being priced from £28 to £38, depending on whether they are the leather version or not, they are heavily discounted too.  They are the Nike Oceana in a myriad of colours from black through to grey, purple, pink, blue and the palest mint green.

 

 

They have the incline that I was after, are just on the right side of retro and come in enough colours to satisfy even the most discerning of customers. I quite like the ones in the top left - fuschia and lime. Great with jeans, ankle length trousers, shorts and even the odd sun-dress. I just need to order myself a pair now. Well, either that or brave the store, minus the children so as to avoid more embarrassing Ann Summers type questions.