When and why I bought new summer Gap basics …

As we all know I’m rarely short on basics and loungewear. In fact right now I’m also not even close to being short on sportswear either so why purchase two more new basics? Is this a shopping addicts cry for help?

What’s been the most interesting regarding undertaking capsule wardrobes in order to find my own personal style is sometimes not quite believing what you find.

If I get straight down to honesty as much I can talk about needing a great pair of jeans, or a structured dress my true happiness lies in soft cotton pieces that drape around me like the secret hippy I am.

I love soft brushes cotton, I love pieces that cling and fall and never strangle my insides and that’s why this year I picked up two new ‘basics’ because however basic they may be to you, to me they are an essential staple of my own personal style. 2017 is the year of fashion honesty as well it seems.

The culottes jumpsuit

A potentially controversial piece, when I first saw the blue version of this in GAP and my true style desire this uber soft pink one from Saturday/Sunday at Anthropologie I fell in love so quick and deep I knew that this was going to be the look for me this SS.

Before Christmas I actually purchased a similarly shaped number from the Next Sale, a loose blue beach pullover version I couldn’t have been happier with the shape on me. The tied up waist to give me much needed definition, the leg length I could work with flats, sand wedges and heels. I also love the ability to accessorise with a thicker plaited leather belt and a short in the waist structured jacket like this one+

100% Annie hall meets Indian jones but lets be honest I’m totally on board for that.

The casual jersey dress

There was a bit of a toss up when it came to this number in fact. One that I’m sure I’ll rectify with the next money off voucher whether to have this dress with the longer sleeves and v neck or to have it’s tied up sister in an almost navy blue. I ended up choosing this particular one for several reasons.

Firstly I love a good v neck it works perfectly on my body shape breaking up my heaviest area. 

Another plus is this came in tall, ensuring that yes this midi dress will be a midi dress on me! I’m also a massive fan of this baseball shirt hem … I’m looking forward to polishing this up with a jersey blazer and ballet flats and making it more casual with sandals perhaps in a great pair of leather wrap ones … on the weekend I can pop on a baseball cap, tie my chambray shirt around my waist with flat trainers for errands and coffee (tea) runs.

If I’m honest for my first two (besides sandals) purchases for SS I’m so pleased with them both. They add something insanely wearable and realistic to an otherwise daydreaming set of left overs from last year! 

When it comes to your basics be it t shirts and jeans or casual dresses or shorts and shirts what’s your go to basic every year?

Fashion | What to wear on a rainy Spring day…

The one thing I particularly hate dressing for whether it is Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer is rain. Whether its cold outside (slightly easier) or hot (nightmare) being able to layer successfully, keep dry and look alright when you get to your destination can be a complete nightmare.

Now, honestly I spend more time researching this on blogs and Pinterest to say that I have found the ultimate solution, but I have at least found this one, Jeggings, a linen tunic (although whose to say I won’t wear it as a dress) a denim shirt and for more layers flat trainers/or waterproof boots and a lightweight jacket (I love either the khaki mac or a bomber jacket.) As when we took these photos it wasn’t raining (although it was supposed to) I also added this plush faux fur scarf from Zara last year, it adds quite a bit of bulk to my frame but I love it for feeling snuggled without getting too hot either.

All in all this outfit has been ideal recently as the weather gets warmer and we approach spring I think this might just be the way to go, light, airy layers all of which dry off quick!

Spring and Summer Fashion | Building Your Wardrobe around your LIFE, Activewear

Last week we kicked off SS17 with thoughts about building a wardrobe which works with the life we have as opposed to the one we see in magazines in blogs.

It’s been a turnaround year for me planning wise, but one which has ultimately helped me greatly. That actually, if I plan for the life I actually lead and intend to lead then perhaps I won’t spend hours just staring at my clothes but actually wearing them!

If we rewind back to my original capsule year I really worked on building my dream wardrobe and not just any dream wardrobe but one that would actually work with my lifestyle. While we bought a house, planned and executed a wedding however, I forgot the fundamentals of this practice, to plan, to develop and to keep my life in mind.

This week I want us to focus on “What’s needed to undertake all the tasks I do every day…”. Firstly a recap on the places I go every day,

–          Work (Smart/Casual Office)

–          Potential Meetings/on site/showcases

–          Drinks/dinner out

–          The Gym

–          Casual Weekend Wear

With that out of the way what does this lifestyle dictate? Well several things, I don’t need loads of pairs of heels, black tie clothing or anything over the top fancy. I do however note that I am looking for more timeless pieces, by fall this year I’m going to be 27 which is putting quite a few things in perspective (more on that in another post). For fashion I want to continue focusing on buying less but more quality items and on being realistic and considered with my money.

Quite frankly what I need to do is plan!

Lets start with the easy stuff, The Gym. Myself and Josh aim to go (every other week at the moment we seem to get ill but hopefully by summer we won’t get so interrupted!) every other day (roughly) So that is either four or three times a week.

I have read a lot about how when you start you have clean work out gear each day but how often that can fall to the wayside, however saying that, lets pretend I wear something clean everytime this is what I need.

Four pairs of bottoms & four tops and one pair of trainers, that’s it. Nine pieces!

Now because I also go swimming that will actually push that number up to a 13 pieces (2 x two pieces)

2 x full length Gap Gfit leggings

1 x 3/4 length Gap Gfit leggings

1 x Primark 3/4 leggings

Brie Bella “Bree Mode” T shirt

Next, boyfriend Fit active top

H&M grey muscle T

Adidas Purple tank

Nike Vomero 12’s

New Balance (basic Trainers)

Big Feet? Why you should buy your sandals now…

(Clarks Sandals Left+ Right+)

The sad fact of the matter is, if you are rocking size nine feet or larger, now is probably the first and last time you are going to be able to secure your summer sandals. Especially if you have a desire for flat, practical shoes.

In the autumn and winter you needn’t worry as quickly but in terms of the summer months? You have to make a plan and get your shoes tied down and fast.

If you think I’m joking I received my first pair in the mail last month (These cheap-ish flats from Clarks+ – I have sent these back, being as they are too flat for my feet) and after having decided they were not for me I found a further two pairs to send to my Mum and Nanna for inspection. My mum fell in love with the heavier soled pair pair whilst my nanna preferred the others and also informed me that she had bought hers two weeks prior!

See? It pays to get them in early, but why? because last year I didn’t get any, frankly because there were none! It seems that the unfortunate truth for any of us with difficult feet or bigger or smaller feet means far less choice, but seemingly no less demand. Therefore however much I wanted to wait them out for the next sale it just couldn’t be on the cards, although I may be keeping an eye on this pair+ just in case.

If you want to know about the two pairs I will more than likely review them later in the year. Upon first wearing they are both nicely cushioned and comfortable although even in the wide fittings they probably won’t be enough for anyone with very wide feet.

Fashion | The pink velvet midi skirt

Firstly one photo? Yes… one photo. When we took this photo it was just before it chucked down with rain and it was also freezing… I don’t believe my face does justice to how cold it was!

On the other side I’ve also been really struggling with blog photos of late. As we continue on our gym journey I’m really feeling and seeing a discrepancy between my body and how i feel inside, thats most likely a post for another day, but it does explain the lack of photos on this post.

I have been in love with midi skirts for a while now and while I have a gingham one for the summer months, when I saw this pink velvet number on sale in Anthropologie I knew it would be a worthwhile wardrobe investment for evening wear and the colder, winter months.

Although I wouldn’t say it photographs perfectly, in real life it is quite lovely! (Also I probably wouldn’t suggest the crazy thick jumper I’m pairing with it either – unless like me you were freezing, even under sherling!) For a night out a pair it with a thinner black top and blazer, this would streamline the look or for something more relaxed a simple white t shirt can never be forgotten! If I remember correctly I also got this on uber sale, reduced from £98.00 to only £29.99… bargain or what?

Shopping | Pre Spring shopping sweep…

Since Spring and Summer have less trends to follow the potential of pre planning a season of clothes becomes infinitely easier to plan for. Whereas Autumn and Winter always seem to cost me far more in terms of money they are far less cohesive and organised.

In Spring and Summer however I have had great fun in developing a firm and simple style which is easy to reinvent year after year. For the past two years I have kept focused on simple lines and patterns, often a mix of white blue and grey and in keeping with this I’ve been on the outlook of similar timeless items with a couple of stand out pieces to invest in more exuberant, timeless summers.

Here are a few of my favourite emerging pieces…

The simple, timeless and classic

These are pretty expected from me but its always good to have the odd classic piece to carry over year after year.

Gingham Dress: Tu, Sainsbury, Chiffon Shirt: Zara, Denim Skirt: Next, White shorts: Topshop, Blue rain mac: Sainsburys, Paris Haute top: New Look

White Skirt: River Island, Floral Body suit: Zara, Grey pencil skirt: River Island, Yellow backpack: Zara, Blue off the shoulder shirt: Next, Red patterned Skirt: Zara

Fashion | I love this dress, but in pictures it hates my body . . .

Almost everything in this post is from Gap, bar the shoes which were New Look last spring and the bag which is Primark – 2012? A long time ago . . . 

Last summer I shared a photo shoot with the most disastrous outfit ever. Or so I thought!

We took these photos at Chartwell in Kent earlier in the year and although we had the best time running around the park, and going on the swings the outfit photos turned out to be the disaster of the year.

The lesson here for anyone is if you are an apple shape you can’t just wear anything, you need something to pull you in at the waist and then hopefully flare out. The reason for this is to balance out the shoulders and bust and pull you in to create (we all hope a waist.)

The curse with this Gap dress is it fits small anyway but it has such a large pull in the middle (its elasticated at the back) that it creates this band over your waist, it should work, but if like me you hold your weight in this area, its not so hot.

I know I am an advocate for wearing what you want, what makes you feel good but to be honest these photos did not make me feel good, so lesson of today not everything you wear should be photographed.

 

 

 

Fashion | A season of style and outfits

A season of Style | Finding shapes and styles that suit you

A long time ago, Caroline from UN-fancy said something on her blog which I had never considered before. To be wary of using Pinterest for style advice because sometimes you can be drawn to how the photo is shot and not the actual outfit.

With this and a season of style in mind I wanted to start my designing of a season with my own past outfits. Combining how good I felt in them with seeing repeat style patterns here are a few of the looks which have worked for me in the past and which will hopefully work again in the future…

Above^ A long silhouette with a splash of colour

Rather than it just being an all black outfit if you choose the same shade and wear it all over it can be incredibly flattering. Although I am tall already this way of dressing has created some really fantastic photos and outfits in the past and is a simple look which would make the ideal base for my next season of style.

Not to make it boring however, the outfits I felt particularly drawn to have been those which have been broken up with a splash of colour. Pieces which are vital to this look have been pieces which can stretch my silhoutte and who are similar in colour which includes my black quarter length T from Zara, black harem trousers, leggings, my dark blue jeans as well as my Eiffel Tower sweater from Long Tall Sally and broken up by plaid and chambray shirts.

The Harem Trouser

For two pairs of soft trousers I have gotten a huge amount of wear out of these key pieces! From the first time I shared them, to being worn across India these trousers have gotten a good deal of Millage. Even to the point that I am potentially considering a third . . .

My favourites I’m considering are . . . Next+ Tapered trousers in Rainforest (these are the same style as my last two pairs) Topshop+ camo joggers for a more casual look Grey Cigarette Trousers Next+

The skirt/dress & Jumper combo

As you might have guessed for the UK, clothes which can be worn with sweaters are a godsend. A must for anyone travelling here over the summer is layers, less so than in hot countries in your average day you can have both cold and hot spells as well as rain so be prepared to being pulling on and off your layers as the day progresses.

With that being said I’ve really fallen in love with this look for spring, summer, autumn and winter. With a shorter skirt I often find its important to elongate my top half and having a longer top or sweater does a great job in giving an alternative look to the belted waist whilst being flattering on my top heavy figure.

One thing I certainly don’t need to be doing is buying anymore sweaters or dresses, I have them by the bucket load and do remind me I have a purple look to show you guys which is ideal for the british summer . . . (Work & Play)

Finally for today I have Tassels 

Last year the blog was awash with this simple kimono from H&M’s Coachella range. Its light, airy and ideal for sleeveless dresses in the office. Its also lasted incredibly well and besides shrinking a little in the wash has retained almost all its tassels and continues to be a great layering piece.

I think you have to be a little bit brave for full on tassels but if your looking for something interesting and inspiring then then is the way to go! In summer this is my go to whilst in Autumn and winter I have been layering my Zara flocked velvet one which adds drama to almost everything!

What have you guys loved from my archives and what do you think my most flattering silhouettes are? I’d love your thoughts on what makes the ideal shape season to season . .  .

Fashion | A ‘shorts’ story

Do you know what proved to be a difficult piece of clothing to buy? Shorts.

What should have been a ‘short’ story (haha) was in fact endless, almost a year in fact. The factors against me was firstly I’m an apple shape so I wouldn’t say that shorts are necessarily the most flattering but secondly I had to go through the trends none of which were particularly flattering.

Last year I thought a great equaliser would have been the boyfriend short. In distressed denim I thought they would be good to equal my top heavy shape. Instead they didn’t work on my skinny legs and so the fit was supremely odd looking.

In all honesty I gave it up for a bad egg last year. My other issue was with being tall, shorts have a tendency to look indecent. If your shorter or petite, shorts work to your advantage as they can make your legs look endless, I don’t quite have that problem.

This year I took another tact. I went back to the form fitting ones and also high waisted. I’m kind of in love with high waisted jeans at the moment. I have a feeling that by Autumn I’ll be on the look out for another pair of high waisted jeans to fill that gap. In the meanwhile however, shorts!

I decided that this year I was also going to have a pair in denim and a soft loose pair. So knowing that I love new look jeans I went there for their high waisted shorts, looking for those with the slightly longer legs (although i’d still consider these hot pants!) and secondly I went looking for a patterned pair as well.

With one pair down I did not expect to find the second so easily but then I was in Sainsburys (supermarket) of all places when I saw them. A highly patterned pair of culotte shorts (who knew that that was a thing?). I think worn with a fitting shirt and maybe my new long armless jacket would be perfect and can be dressed down with sandals or up with heels.

Fashion | A season of style, an introduction

I keep reading about them, I keep seeing them, I keep on wishing for one. A uniform.

When I see a perfect outfit of normcore I’m wracked with envy, how has she done that? Looked so effortless and polished… I bet she didn’t struggle to put her clothes on this morning!

I believe now that I only, ‘think’ that I want a uniform.

The problem with things being uniformed is that they struggle to lead to any outlandish expressions and as you might remember from forever ago, I dress to my mood. I dress to an inner artist and she works from shapes, not colours and certainly not what might traditionally suit a six foot, plus size woman. If I told that inner artist that she had to colour within the lines (never my forte) she’d most likely stomp her feet, scrawl on the walls and would I be happy?

For a while perhaps, until the glitter wore off.

Instead I want to challenge you to create something different, I want you to consider how you dress as being a season of style.

The idea sprung from thinking about a post on designing a capsule wardrobe.

Recently I had been worried about my house. I went through it quickly to start and sometimes I worry, “what happens when the house is complete?”. For some that is the dream. To have a complete house, to feel whole, it’s enough. This I would consider to be happiness with an end result.

My inner artist, whether she’s pulling clothes or painting skirting boards isn’t happy with ‘content’. I realise this and so seasons came around . . . What if the way I wear my clothes is not a fixed, forever uniform but instead a season . . .

What do you think? Are you up for a season of style?

Fashion | Throwback Dungarees

from the bottom, Shoes: Clarks, Dungarees: New Look, T: Zara, Green Bag: Paperchase, Tasseled Cardigan: Zara, Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Fashion | throwback dungarees

I distinctly remember getting into the back of our family car as a kid wearing dungarees. The first house I remember had its garage as the walk through to the front of the house and we, by this time I think had a navy Astra. I remember sitting in my seat in the back and unclicking one of the straps, just because … I think. It’s my first real fashion memory, they were comfy and for a long time I have related them to being a kid.

Last year I started the search for dungarees as an adult. First I bought an oversized white pair which were seriously not the right decision! They went back and honestly I figured I just wouldn’t have a pair!

This year however I was back on the hunt and although I would say these aren’t long enough for me … (I like wearing them undone in a very 2000’s Rock n roll metal rebellion way – see below). In simple black I am in love, in fact when it was hot the other weekend I was slightly sad, how could I wear my dungarees now? I don’t see myself giving up on them that easily however, I’m very much planning on wearing these well into autumn and probably next winter!

What do you all think of the dungarees trend? Are they a yes or a hell no?

Fashion | The little peplum tank that could

Bomber Jacket: Next, Peplum tank: New Look, Jeans: New Look, Red Lace up flats: New Look

I have to keep reminding myself when I buy something new that it needs to be a little more different than just another basic. A black tank is cool, but a peplum tank is better.

I always find myself admiring other women rocking trends and having their wardrobe change. Its not in fact that they have an unlimited budget but that they allow space for more statements and trends then basics. I’m addicted to buy a great basic T but I know i need to invest more in things to be excited by after all jeans and a T shirt are simply just Jeans and a T Shirt but adding a peplum makes it even better.