Travelling Bazaar - Hygge in a boutique

I think that Hygge may well be one of the most over used words in the English, or Danish, language but this beautiful boutique really does bring about those feelings of well-being, cosiness, comfort and simplicity. It's like stepping through the door and leaving the world behind....

With Karen, from Travelling Bazaar, at the end of a very busy evening. 

Travelling Bazaar is a gorgeous boutique owned by Karen and Nicky. It is situated in Farnham, Surrey and behind its tiny doorway lies a beautiful shopping and lifestyle experience with a collection of pieces curated from Scandinavia, Japan and Southern Europe. Karen and Nicky offer their loyal clients, and new ladies alike, a warm welcome and a chance to browse and try on pieces from fabulous brands such as Aigle, Ilse Jacobsen, Sorel, Second Female and Munthe.

A few weeks ago now I was invited by Nicky and Karen to host an in-store event. Earlier in the afternoon I edited the collection, creating a number of outfits for an imaginary Winter weekend away in Norway. There was an outfit for travelling in, one for a trip to a Norwegian Market, an outfit for brunch, one for dinner out and another for a Wintery walk.

The evening started off with cocktails, followed by shopping, my presentation and then further shopping. The boutique was buzzing with lots of ladies having fun and chatting. And I got to play shop assistant for the night - as well as stylist - something that I've always loved!

I just adore these boots. The colour is fabulous! For me the boutique is best described as every day luxury - it's about country living, walking the dog, watching the kids play rugby, dashing here there and everywhere in stylish wellies, cool trainers, a gorgeous jumper, an edgy piece of jewellery, all whilst keeping warm and dry.

I love the colours and clean lines of this rail, which is so typical of the boutique. Chunky and fine knit jumpers with pretty tops shot with gold fill the rails, alongside checked shirts and puffa jackets for the everyday.

Not surprisingly, I was a fan of the silver metallic pleated skirt...

And the Woden trainers, which come in a variety of different prints, are great for adding some interest and texture to a winter outfit. The style of them is a little more "1980s Reebok" than some of the Adidas tennis style trainers which are around at the moment, meaning that they will hold a particular appeal to some.

I love the styling of the store, from the simple clean lines of the Scandi aesthetic above....(I'd love to display my own clothes like this....ermmm, not likely!)....to the slightly more layered, textured approach, below.

And the great thing is that Nicky and Karen will be bringing along a carefully selected edit of their gorgeous boutique to the next pop up that I'm holding at home on Friday 24th November (details to follow soon) so if you're not able to get to Farnham, please do come to Birmingham for the best of the rest!  

The best jeans in the business, from a lady who knows....

Tonight I'm doing what I see as my civic duty and bringing you a pair of jeans which I have been told, on very good authority by my friend Sal, are fantastic. They are the skinny high rise Levi's  and they are £90.

I've been given clearance by Sal to divulge why they are good because you know none of us likes what we've said to a friend being shared to the world, especially when it involves one's tummy, but as she said "they're great because you can tuck everything in and they hold it all in place."  Sounds good to me.

By way of extra info, but hopefully not too much info, Sal is a very slim size 10 apple shape which as many of you will know means that her tum, in proportion to her long slim legs and narrow hips, can be harder to dress. She looks stunning in jeans  and whilst she's not fussed by the label on her bum (or anywhere else for that matter) for her it's worth spending a little more on jeans to get them just right. Often the rise is too low for her to be comfortable, or the leg length too short. Previously she has worn Seven for all Mankind but after wearing these Levi's, which in turn were recommended by a friend at work, they seemed really uncomfortable. These jeans come in 9 colours and she loved them so much that she's going back for a second pair.

So for anyone who finds buying jeans a nightmare - you know the scenario, you get them to fit around the waist but then they swing around the hips, or when you bend over they show your bum - these could be your saving grace and just in time for Christmas too.

The composition of these jeans is good too - they're 72% cotton, 26% polyester and 2% elastane. Any more elastane and they can become more like leggings than jeans and although traditionally we perhaps turned our noses up slightly at anything containing polyester, I prefer jeans to have some in. They just feel softer and more comfortable to wear.

I love sharing what people love and swear by so if you've come across anything that works well for you, do please let me know at style@bethgoodrham.com

Denim dresses - if you haven't thought of one before, now might be a good time to do so...

There's going to be a lot of denim around this season, so get ready girls and dig out those denim jackets. Hmmm. Maybe. But then again maybe not.

Denim dresses, however, have caught my eye of late, which has got me thinking about them. Specifically I have a friend who loves clothes but who never wears dresses as she feels too dressed up. So, I thought, a denim dress could be a good place to start. It's just a dress version of jeans really which makes it simple to get your head around. I prefer the shirt dress styles rather than the prom style (too teenage) and even within a shirt dress there's a shape for everyone. Either belted or not, V-neck or buttoned up, short or long, fitted or loose - it's just a question of finding the right one and most have sleeves, which is an added bonus.

I like the simple back drop that denim dresses provide for a statement necklace, a big printed scarf or a change of belt. They can be layered up with a polo neck and thick tights and boots for now and then in the warmer months they can be swapped for converse/flat sandals/wedges or even, dare I say it, Birkenstocks!

The Next denim shirt dress (£30) is one that I haven't yet seen in the flesh but I have quite high hopes for it. More importantly it comes in tall and petite too. I like how the belt could be swapped on this one for something bright, studded or Perspex.

I saw this Warehouse denim shirt dress (£60) yesterday and really liked it, although I felt that at £60, it was a bit spendy. The v-neckline is good though for those with a curvier bust and the waist tie gives it some shape. The zip detail is great for drawing attention to your shoulders - if that's the kind of thing you are happy to do.

This oversized shirt dress, also from Warehouse is a different style completely. Looser and buttoned up to the neck, it just offers a different feel.

The image of this Levi's denim dress, (reduced to £62.90 from £90 in the sale) isn't great but it's worth taking a closer look at it via the link. The neckline is pretty and the belt could also be swapped on this one. The length is also quite good on it too, so no-one need flash their pants when bending over to pick up the baby/put the washing machine on and so on.

I have to say that I like the idea of a denim dress for a Saturday day time. Saturdays are those days when perhaps we want to make a little bit more of an effort than a weekday evening (unless anyone out there is lucky enough to go out during the week, in which case crack out those diamonds) but without feeling that we are dressed up to the point where someone asks if we're going out for dinner that night. I think that I have persuaded myself to the point that I now feel that it is my duty to road test my theory. Watch this space...