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?

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.

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 | How to compose an outfit and work with wide sleeves.

(very unlike myself, the moody photo. It gives all of us the laughs 🙂 )

Working with different lengths of clothing can make an outfit work better instantly. Clothing like art is all about composition and with the lovely wide sleeve having made a come back, now is the perfect time to work on your outfit composition.

When I was a teenager the style was for short tops and low rise jeans, looking at TV shows like Gilmore Girls at the time you can see how this made our silhouettes so boxy and because I grew up with that being the ‘look’ I sometimes forget the rules to dressing better and how to make an outfit more flattering.

Even if you are tall like me, making a slimline silhoutte works both for making yourself taller and slimmer. To create that line, you have some choices, in this case, the long, sleeveless blazer elongates my body making a cohesive line, even though its actually broken up between my skirt and my top. Furthermore the reason everyone should have a wide sleeve top in their closet is because it helps creating more flow. It reaches further down our arms (great for those shorter in the body also) and the wide sleeve gives more movement to the outfit which in turn adds to that length. no sharp cut off points!

To keep that length as well, this faux fur stole from Zara adds the perfect distraction as to where my skirt and top meet as the shape of it leads the eye down and over that cut in my middle.

If like me however, you need to at least give the illusion of a waist, belt outside of the jacket, or the longest part of your outfit, then either side of that line is the same keeping the overall length you are trying to create.

Shop | A Quick Sale Unboxing, Zara.

One little Zara box. Three Choices. Three reasons. 

You’ve seen the youtube videos, probably a thousand times, Haul! Unboxing and try on! They are in equal measure some of my favourite and least favourite things to watch.

Why? Quite simply because on one hand I love looking into other peoples choices. What did you pick and why? Hate because of the obvious, this is just to make money for the content creator.

There is actually a very different reason for their purchases, ones that they don’t actually give us. Reality is not, “Oh, I really needed a funnel neck sweater” few people even have that direct of an idea, instead, reality is, funnel necks might be in, winter is coming, my audience are looking for warm weather clothes. It’s clever, interesting all the same but not what they are telling us.

This however, isn’t just an unboxing haul; it’s a sale haul.

Why a sale haul, if I’m not sure I like hauls? I think the sale is similar to a haul, it can be great or it can be terrible. Great if you get something you’ve been waiting on and terrible if you just spend a lot of money on things you don’t want, so here is my unboxing with my honest reasons for purchase.

(My apologies for the creases that is how they came and I was too lazy to steam/iron them – not to mention with this winter light, there is so little of it I had to act fast to photograph everything!)

The khaki joggers

I am completely, I admit, addicted to khaki trousers. I bought a pair of darted ones (from Zara again, obviously) just before Christmas and I have lived in them ever since. On top of that my boss (one stylish, timeless lady) has recently been wearing the tailored joggers and quiet honestly she has inspired me.

I have one other pair of fitted joggers (Primark, two years ago, a whole £6) but I loved the thicker drawstring waist, the tailored leg and of course they were Khaki.

The joggers £9.99 at the beginning of the sale and cost, £12.99 full price.

Nothing I bought in this haul came at a great saving to be honest. However, with smaller savings it made me think harder than shopping at places like H&M where you can easily buy things just because they only cost you a fiver. Instead, it gave me pause over rushed purchases and gave me the chance to make better decisions. Even though most likely the best decision would be to not buy anything at all.

The Black choker effect sweater top

Was £22.99 and cost, £17.99

The choker effect sweater is just ideal for me, as I’ll go into greater detail in another post, it works great for my figure and I loved the idea of this affordable version from Zara.

My only let down from this was that it was far shorter and more fitted than I first thought however upon further introspection this could work for me, layered over a chiffon dress, tucked into my suede skirt as I did for a date night with Josh that evening, there are a lot of different options to this and I like the to form fit.

Finally…

The Long Grey Chenille Jacket

This one has a story. Growing up in the 90’s chenille was big. What I remember most was my mum seemingly constantly wrapped in Chenille jumpers. I can’t remember the colour, or even style I just remember the texture. Cool to the touch but warm against the skin.

It was their cropped blue sweater I tried on first, it didn’t matter the style, I wanted the chenille. Thankfully for me the cropped sweater was bust, but the cardigan which came later I knew would be a keeper.

They had this cardigan in a pretty blue, this grey and a striking burnt yellow. The yellow shouted the loudest but I also knew it would be the least wearable in the long run. The grey however, is far more versatile.

plus side its really, really comfortable – so its a winner!

Whether or not you make a good or bad sale purchase is all down to the pieces you choose. For me the key is picking up the pieces which you’ve either wanted forever and know will work and going for things which suit you. V necks, always a good idea for me, cosy trousers (always good) and memory inducing Chenille? I can’t say no.

Shopping | I accidentally bought the most popular scarf on the planet.

Hat: Zara, Scarf: Zara

When you were a teenager, did you ever pray that no one else would buy the same clothes as you? When you found something unique you hadn’t seen before did you want to wear it to school immediately and bask in how individual you were going to look? If yes, then thank god it wasn’t just me. (Just a little bit?)

I loved, loved, loved dressing differently to everyone else, never in an out there way but in a way which made me not entirely merge into everyone else. (Although being a foot taller meant that was highly unlikely).

However, growing up, things change. You become less bothered by matching or how people view your outfit (hopefully) so the fact that as I watched yet another woman wonder down Clapham high street in my scarf shocked me when my first thought was, drat.

Somehow I might have bought the, ‘it’ Zara scarf this year. Really I should have known this was going to happen. The thing is, I wanted a camel scarf. Two years ago I bought the Camel waterfall coat and I have loved that timelessness on me ever since. Black and even grey can look a little harsh on me, but light brown and camel? Perfect! Therefore, this year I was looking for a super soft, camel scarf and this one jumped at me, camel with a bit of of pizazz? yes please!

Of course, I was not the only one to have this thought . . .

Have I bought the scarf everyones bought this season? Is this the in, ‘it’ scarf? I think I’m wearing it right now, thankfully its crazy cosy and only malting half the amount that last years red scarf did or my grey, lime and pink one has all over Berlin a couple of weeks back, still I wonder…should i start counting all the women wearing the same scarf as me, or would there just be too many to count?

Shopping | Fall for this – The Leopard Print Sweater of Dreams

Leopard Print sweater : Zara, Black ripped jeans: New Look

Leopard print is my real bae.

If I have to choose one pattern for the rest of my life it would be leopard print, in fact right now I am writing this in this jumper next to a faux fur blanket which is the exact same pattern. My fleece blanket was a present from my parents which I was about 11 so if theres anyone to place the obsession on, I’m sorry mum but what did you start?

Regardless I had a year off last year (from leopard print that is – not grown up life, although if I could..?) But this year? Well its full steam ahead! For the sake of this Fridays article I would like to direct you to this sweater from Zara at £29.99 its affordable and over sized and when I wore it the other day outside i couldn’t even feel the breeze, its that thick and snuggly!

Its the dream for both Autumn (it can double as a coat) and winter when its snowy, icy and you need a familiar hug when yours stuck at West Malling station because of Ice on the tracks.

To add to my newly growing collection of leopard? I also bought a faux fur headband from Oliver Bonas, its going to be a wild fashion year I tell you, wild!

 

Fashion | Shopping and why you should take photos of yourself in the changing room.

Green Roll Neck: Gap (On Sale!) , Cord Skirt: Next PLC (Similar – same store), Brogues: Clarks (In Black)

Oh, how I enjoy the shopping and planning process! It has to be my favourite part of any year. I think, just like planning one of our rooms to renovate planning for a season ahead brings so much more joy than I could ever expect!

(Look at the sleeves of this sweater! I call it my Snape sweater… – ultimate love right there) Its from Zara but I can’t see it online . . .

This Autumn/Winter I feel so much more on track to having a great, hard working wardrobe which is both on trend and flattering. I know, I used the word flattering! The horror! That being said I am feeling so good about this season that I figured why not show a few in changing room photos. Why do I take photos in the changing room? Well here goes . . .

They make you really look at yourself. Almost as though through the eyes of someone else.

I know that I have some really bad habits when it comes to shopping. I have been known to simply pick something up off of the shelf and buy it. Buy something that I don’t actually like because in my head I want it to work or because I simply want to make myself feel better. The best thing about photographing yourself however? You can’t hide from the truth. I mean you could . . . but its a lot harder at least.

When did I start photographing?

When I didn’t have my superhero mum telling me how terrible or good I really looked and secondly when I started the blog.

The reality is what we wear can look drastically different between our eyes and the camera lens, not to mention at mine and Joshes the mirror I use is slightly warped which gives me an unrealistic view of myself . .  . very helpful I realise.

To combat this I started photographing myself in changing rooms to look at myself from a different view point. To see my flaws and all! Since photographing myself I have on the whole seen an improvement in purchases, in fact I think that its why I am a better shopper if I go to the physical stores rather than ordering online. When I order online I’m more likely to keep something even if it doesn’t fit right just because I can’t be bothered to take it back. Therefore photographing a look in a dressing room? It can sometimes be so much easier then buying something half or blind and regretting it ever since…

Summer 2016 Fashion wrap up

It seems a little odd this year to discuss summer outfits especially since I only gave you guys about one photograph a week.

For the UK as well we didn’t exactly have weather that leant itself to great, inventive outfits, it was either cool-cold (I wore a jacket well into July) or so hot and humid that the idea of clothes became repulsive. On the whole however, I spent the majority of the summer in skirts and then shorts on the weekend.

Last year I was in love with dresses, as you all know I had the same dresses in multiple colours and this year I fell into the same pattern. At the beginning I picked up a couple of sale ones from The Gap but this year they really didn’t get worn. Maybe it was the lack of summery weekends that weren’t hot to the bone but this year for work I have lived in skirts. The blue one above as well as my grey midi wrap skirt and my two corduroy ones on repeat, in rotation. So much so in fact that I realised I don’t own nearly enough tops in comparison to bottoms.

On particularly humid days I also wore my jersey harem trousers on repeat. Again, like last year my wardrobe was pretty predictable, but maybe thats exactly what summer is about spending more time doing things and wearing what allows you to do whatever it is you want to do until the cooler months where you can spend more time  developing interesting outfits instead.

If I have learned anything however its this, whatever your wardrobe size you need a good deal of balance between the items, if you have 100 skirts and two tops you’ll never get the best from your skirts and vice versa. Even more so don’t over purchase one item if you never wear it and don’t purchase too many colours that don’t all merge!

Also for summer in the UK? Buy a fan and yes I bought shorts to work just to wear on the train home! #skills

What were your summer clothes clothes like this year? leave your comments and links below!

Affordable Fashion | Not shopping so I can plan to shop?

Striped Sweater, Red Shirt, Blue & White Check dress, brown suede boots, chambray T shirt, blue and red skirt

Cropped Pink Shirt, Grey striped cardigan, grey check trousers, dusky pink mules, pink wrap skirt, lace up boots

Trainers, Grey swing top, grey fitted dress, white top with flared sleeves, green suede skirt, green and yellow patterned skirt

No Shopping?

It can be the hardest part of a capsule and certainly the hardest thing for those who emotionally shop and thats the idea of giving it up. Why should you give up the fun of fashion? To plan it of course!

As we know I love the stores who release their next seasons early and they are perfect to start gauging the season ahead. What trends are the high street going to be taking part in? Most importantly of course, what do you (or in this case, I) want to see in my own wardrobe moving forward. If you follow my Pinterest board+ you’ll see glimpses of this but I wanted to share the pieces and styles which are already high on my list.

Olivia Burton Watch

Soft & Irresistible textures

Of course my first go to was comfort, style and great fabrics. A ribbed knit dress? Yes a thousand times? Velvet in Autumn and Winter all the way! Least but not last plaid is always my favourite in thing to wear in Autumn and Winter. On top of that I’m still weighing up which Olivia Burton watch I want. Honestly, I originally wanted the Marc Jacobs one in black but considering the price, Olivia Burton is a way better choice for an uber beautiful watch.

All that suede

I got this suede obsession from my mum, so lets just say it, “This means I’m allowed all the suede items right? You can’t get mad at me?” She probably can, //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js“>but can she say no to this face from the other day? Unlikely.

I’m living in suede during the AW16 season it’s already been decided. One thing I’ve not decided on, a long suede coat (not floor touching, don’t freak out) or a short biker style jacket. One thing I’m sure on is it will either be this green above or the rich brown. Also that skirt is so going on my to buy immediately list.

Denim & New Shapes

Do we remember how much I wanted to introduce new shapes into my wardrobe? Last AW I choose to be more edgy, reality is this, the only edgy things I really wore were my black and white coatigan from Long Tall Sally (It was so comfortable, who doesn’t like being wrapped in a huge blanket?) and of course my tunics which meant leggings and jeggings were so much more wearable!

In regards to my picks above I love the twist on this chambray T-shirt, the pleated pattern skirt which can go from work to the party and that pretty red top at the beginning of this post with a tie? Both cute, fun and 100% unexpected for me getting dressed in the morning.

Pink suede bag, Black super soft scarf, Black and silver belt, light brown hat

Finishing touches

Accessories are the key to any look, I have poorly ignored them this year so far (I can’t actually believe how little effort I have put into my outfits) but this year I am going to be changing that all up and it started with a pendant necklace from Accessorize. A small thing but it reminded me of all that I have always loved. Unique bags, fun hats, unusual belts and warm, scratchless scarves (usually in leopard print, I won’t pretend) have always been the backbone of my looks and I’m bringing it back this year!

As you can see I have spent quite a lot of time pulling this together but I am so excited to start curating again and coming back to the styles that I really want and love. Sometimes its fun to go out of the box but most of the time? The classics are perfect with me.

I’m now off to put everything in my basket, bulk at the price and then start cutting down the options but I think you can guess, suede is going to be all over this season.

Fashion and Feeling Good | The importance of work wear

| The importance of work wear

Work wear can feel boring, drab and restrictive. Whether you work with a strict suit & tie rule or are blessed with a smart-casual office, your work wear can have a huge impact on your working life and your confidence.

With recent events there is nothing more important than giving a boost to your workday and even better the clothes we put on our bodies can have just that effect!

So how can you ensure that your work wear empowers you rather than devalues you? Luckily there are three must have steps to purchasing and wearing a corporate or professional wardrobe.

• It needs to be able to make you both look and feel professional and from that give you confidence in your everyday tasks and meetings.
• It needs to be comfortable & functional
• Whilst also adhering to your firms dress code & culture all whilst reflecting your own personal style.

With this all in mind I would like to re direct you back to the traditional capsule for a while. If you like me feel like you need to hit the re set button on your work-drobes a capsule can be a great way to start a more functional wardrobe moving forward.

What I have created is a small collection of pieces which both make me feel good and which are a step up from my more traditional go too in the aim to make me feel smarter and better dressed at my 9-5.

The key to a great starter capsule is to make it easily mixable and easy on you to get dressed in the morning. My initial work wardrobe (5 days of clothes) is as follows,

• White eyelit Top (Next)
• Khaki Silk effect shirt (Next)
• White T shirt (New Look)
• Blue and white striped shirt dress (Lidl)
• Blue and white flippy Dress (Zara)
• Grey wrap midi skirt (Next)
• Blue pocket with white stitched skirt (Next)
• Blue and white spotted trousers (Next)
• Grey Longline jacket (Anthropologie)

Additional add ons: Grey A-symmetrical sweater (Zara), patterned Zara silk scarf and rose gold circular necklace (Topshop).

Shoe wise: Black and white snakeskin tasseled loafers (Clarks), Taupe suede brogues & tan cowgirl boots (New Look)

Why these pieces?

Choosing pieces for a capsule can be a complicated process. You need versatile pieces, which you both love and find they fit well. For this one in particular I feel in love with this image on Pinterest + a capsule sudoku! Can you dream up anything better?

For me my ultimate go to pieces are ones which are uber comfortable and second they are go to pieces which also fit in well with one another colour wise. I naturally gravitate towards blues so obviously there are lots of those but also a great mix of comfort with structure. For example the Anthropologie blazer is both soft as its jersey but also structured enough to wear to work. I also picked up this great shirtdress, which I love for mixing again structure with cool linen. I’ve also thrown in a white T-shirt, which paired with my smart skirts or even my harem trousers and heels can look that little more dressed up than you might expect.

Stay tuned . . . for how to mix up and style these pieces for a five day wardrobe of outfits & more!

On a more personal note, I wanted to briefly acknowledge the elephant in the room. Brexit.

Since this is a personal style blog I don’t want to talk too much on this but please know that I was deeply saddened and hurt (still am hurt) by the British publics decision to vote out of the EU. It was a reality I had hoped would never come to fruition but now that it has I honestly don’t know what is going to happen next or what any of our futures might shape up to be. It currently feels as if we are going through heartbreak where nothing will feel good again. 

With that being said I wanted to take this moment to say that I, this blog and my thoughts are not those of the Brexit. I was born a child of the world and myself and this blog will continue (I hope) to be a little place of solace for anyone looking for it, regardless of where we live in the world.

I hope that we can continue to support one another through this fresh hardship, to raise each other up to greater things. This comes with hope that soon, Gen Y, whose young, wise eyes can see the importance of a global community can build a new, better and more accepting world for our own children and grandchildren moving forward. 

Fashion Shopping | Basics and must haves

Green Cardi, Blue & White stripped cardi, White Cardi

The little cardigan that could.

I don’t think I push too many purchases on the blog but if you can get to a Gap store these adorable cardigans are £9.99 – £7.99 each! Which let me tell you for a basic is unbeatable! I love these little cardigans and lets be honest I have them in the blue and white (and totally tempted by the lilac).

Better still if you are currently looking at a cotton jumper hole in your spring Capsule Wardrobe this could just fill the void.

In reality these are really soft, wear well and are so easy and comfortable to throw on. When I first bought the blue one I think I wore it solidly between washes for about three weeks, outfit colours be damned and that, is an awful lot of wears!