Skinny cords and the perfect red blazer...

Considering how much I love blazers and the colour red, I can't believe I have never owned a red blazer before! I spotted this natty little jacket when we were doing our weekly shop at Tesco and the colour and the fact that it was reduced meant that I was checking out faster than you could say "TOTAL BARGAIN"! I love the cropped cut and I know this will get a lot of wear with my growing wardrobe of stripy tops. There's something about the two together that I love....

Jacket: Tesco, top: H&M, cords: ASOS, shoes: New Look, bag: NW3 x Hobbs, necklace: Accessorize
The Bank Holiday was the first proper bit of sunshine we have had in a long time and I took full advantage with good food, good company and some super jazzy sunglasses. I really love these glasses but the arms are getting a bit loose now so I need some new ones. Do you have any recommendations for the perfect cat eye sunnies?


A sneak peek at the perfect pair of skinny cords and a look at Mark's shoes. I find cords much comfier than jeans and I was really pleased with these ones, they suck you in in all the right places! 


Where would I get some cat-eye sunglasses?

Home is where the heart is...

It has been just over a year since Mark and I moved into our flat and although I promised some more photos I never got round to it! We have managed to make the flat out own in the past year or so and I thought now was a good time to share a few more photos. As we are only renting, we can't change too much so accessories are the only way we can introduce some personality into an almost entirely magnolia flat....


Since last year we have swapped our turquoise sofa for something a bit more tasteful and stuck to bright cushions to lift the grey colour slightly...


I can never resist going mad in Ikea and last time we came away with this little clock for the living room. For some reason, Mark said this one was too much?!


Mugs brought back from our trip to Italy last year. I am amazed that we managed to get them back in one piece to be honest! 


These photos were a birthday present from our friends for Mark's 18th, we clubbed together to buy the two on the left and I bought the final one in the set. We have never been to New York but it is definitely on our list of places to visit!


Pudsey and female friend (Fudsey?!) on our little cane chair. You will often find me sitting on this chair curled up with a good book or watching the cows.... Yes I am a grandma! ;)


Wine carafe from our friends, wooden duck figurine and various cards...


I'm sure you know by now that I am a massive fan of owls and my parents gave me these cuties for Christmas. They live on top of our TV guarding my selcetion of trashy TV box sets....


I love unusual glassware and the Russian doll carafe was inspired by Helen at Afeitar. I found these two bottles at a jumble sale a few years ago and I love the fact that they have a proper place to live now, rather than being shuttled back and forth in boxes to uni! You can also see the little terracotta owls which my mum bought me, they are supposed to bring good luck and are another beloved owl trinket! 


Recently, Out There Interiors offered to send me something and when I saw this amazing alphabet lamp I fell in love.  I have never been more glad that Mark and I share the same initial!

Lamp c/o Out there Interiors
The lamp itself is pretty heavy as it is made from porcelain but apparently you can mount it on a wall ( I haven;t been that brave!) The lamp has been getting a lot of love and you can see why, I couldn't be happier with it! 


COWS! The cows are still my favourite part of living here, I was so excited when we get a new herd of them recently, they are just such cheery creatures!

How do you make your house feel like home?
P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Out There Interiors....

How I wear oversized denim...

I admit it, I have never been cool. I can't pull off daring haircuts or some of the more extreme trends but I have always admired people who can. I have been wanting to try out a denim shirt ever since I saw my girl Claire looking so good in one and when I saw this oversized one on the Monki website I fell in love. I'm not quite sure that I pull it off but it has been the perfect light cover-up for casual days at work and to make certain things (like this cut out back t-shirt) more wearable. I was kindly given these cords by my friend Matilda and they are ridiculously comfy (think curled up on the sofa in your pyjamas kind of cosy) I'm not quite brave enough to wear denim on denim yet so my various cord trousers will have to suffice for now...

Denim shirt: Monki, t-shirt: Primark, cords: Gap via Matilda, shoes: Office, belt: Primark

I washed my hair with the Umberto Giannini 'Incredible Body' range here and you can really tell, my hair was absolutely huge when I woke up! Paired with the denim shirt and peachy lipstick though, I'm not sure if I look like I have fallen through an 80s wormhole?! Please excuse my bleary eyes here, early starts will do that to a girl! 


Monki clothes are known for being rather oversized but after an unfortunate incident with a pair of trousers that wouldn't encompass my hips, I thought that I would be better off sizing up than down. This shirt however is nearly as big as my hair and I felt a bit 'schlumpy' in it if truth be told. Belting it seemed to solve the reservations I was having and I trotted off to work quite happy in the end...


Are you brave enough to wear denim on denim? How would you style this denim shirt?

Panda print...

As we still seem to be in the midst of winter (thick jumpers and boots in May, really?!) I have been reaching for cosy layers at work and this outfit has been one of my favourites. This panda print blazer doesn't get worn anywhere near enough and it was the perfect way to make plain trousers and a stripy top more interesting. It is so easy to repeat the same outfits over and over again when choosing what to wear to work so anything that shakes me out of my comfort zone is a good idea! Saying that, I have been wearing these trousers a lot recently. Slim fit trousers in interesting colours will always  have a place in my work wardrobe, they are such an easy way to introduce colour into the office without looking like an escaped clown being too garish...

Blazer: Primark, jumper:Topshop, top: Oasis, trousers: Matalan via charity shop, shoes: Dorothy Perkins,  necklace: Miss Selfridge
This jumper is another neglected favourite, it's a bit too flimsy for the depths of winter but it is ideal for the horrible weather we have been having recently. It's warm enough for the chilly mornings but the short sleeves come into their own by the afternoon. I imagine it would look fab with one of my maxi skirt too, I love  good cosy jumper! Can you tell that the heating in our building is atrocious?!


A close up of those adorable little pandas!


What do you wear when the weather is rubbish?


Denim, stripes and leopard-print...

You know how much I love striped tops and this one is a recent addition to my wardrobe from good old H&M. I love the three-quarter length sleeves and paired with my favourite denim dress, it was the perfect outfit for a lazy weekend spent watching films and eating a roast beef dinner...At weekends, if I get dressed at all, I like to be in something that is super comfy, there's nothing worse than being too dressed up! 

Dress: NW3 by Hobbs, top: H&M, belt: New Look, shoes: French Sole flat shoes

Stripes are perfect for pattern mixing and a spot of leopard-print jazzed up this outfit no end! Paired with my 'go to' hairstyle and some burgundy nail varnish, it made me feel like I had made some effort at least...



I have been obsessed with leopard print recently and these beautiful shoes are from French Sole, a brand I have been desperate to try for years.  People have raved about the fit but I thought they were just a glorified pair of ballet pumps, and not worth spending the money on. How wrong I was! They fit perfectly and unlike a lot of ballet pumps, they don't gape at the sides. I survived a whole weekend traipsing around London in them, no mean feat, I think you will agree!


What do you wear at the weekend? Have you ever tried French Sole shoes?
P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo

Oversized stripes...

I think it's a bit of a blogger cliché but my wardrobe is full of striped tops. This Mango jumper was a bit of an impulse buy but I couldn't resist adding another striped jumper to my collection. It is surprisingly warm and perfect for the office, especially when paired with my snazzy blue blazer! I have been wearing a lot of monochrome outfits recently and it feels weird not wearing any colour so this blazer is ideal for brightening them up...

Blazer: c/o Matalan, jumper: Mango, jeans: Topshop, top: c/o Matalan, necklace: New Look, shoes: c/o Matalan

I really love this jumper but I'm never sure how to style it. The oversized fit isn't that flattering on me and I'm not sure what to pair it with to stop me looking so square. I wore it here with a loose t-shirt but maybe I need a more fitted top? It reminds me of this outfit in a lot of ways, maybe I just need to dig out more skinny trousers?


This necklace is the perfect finishing touch and I have been wearing it a lot recently. I really like the length and think I need to invest in some more statement necklaces, they are perfect for pairing with stripes!


I have had these Topshop jeans for a year or so now but they have really stretched after a few washes too many and I am on the lookout for a new pair. I have heard some good things about the Joni jeans but does anyone have any other recommendations for high-waisted jeans?


How would you style this oversized jumper?

Film noir inspired...

These photos have been sitting on my computer for a while now, I took them way back in March but I have been a bit unsure about using them which is strange.I loved the outfit and I quite like how the photos came out  but the photos are a bit 'posier' than I am used to and it felt slightly like a costume rather than an outfit. I had been looking for a proper mac/raincoat for a while now and I picked up this Paul Costelloe number up in a charity shop for a few pounds. It is very light but keeps out even the sharpest of showers and although I think I need to get it tailored  and perhaps shortened (there is a lot of material here!) I really love this coat.  The oversized lapels and collar make me feel like I could be a film noir detective- those guys knew how to work a trench coat!

Coat: Paul Costelloe via charity shop, dress: Sugarhill Boutique, shoes: Marks & Spencer, goofy pose: model's own

Paired with a rather cute tea dress and some rather vampy heels, I felt like a proper femme fatale! I love Sugarhill Boutique dresses (Sarah has an enviable amount which I am very jealous of!) but had always put off buying them as I wasn't sure how they would fit. I spotted this one reduced on Amazon and decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to try out the brand. One thing I would say is that this is pretty short, you can see from the photo how much leg is on show and when I wore it to work with some flat shoes, I felt a bit exposed. This is definitely one for the weekend when you aren't going to be constantly trying to pull it down all day! This jazzy red clutch doesn't get many outings but I have been trying to use it a bit more when I go out as it is pretty roomy. I bought it on a college trip when Sophie and I bunked off from the British Museum for an hour or so to hit up Oxford Street, smuggling it back on the coach was pretty funny!

Belt: Primark, bag: Dorothy Perkins
Brushed out curls, cat-eye glasses and a slick of red lipstick topped off the 1940s look. I love the print on this dress too, the little rocking horses are adorable!


I fell in love with these shoes as soon as I laid eyes on them back in the January sales and I knew they would be the perfect finishing touch to this outfit, I just need to find a way to make them stay on my feet. I seem to just fall forward in them which is bad news for someone with such atrocious balance as I have!


What weird style inspirations have you had recently?

Styling a maxi skirt for work...

I have said many times before that I am so grateful that I have a fairly casual dress code at work and there's not much that I can't wear (flesh flashing aside obviously!) As I leave so early in the morning, it can be difficult to judge what to wear for the day ahead as 5.30 am doesn't give you much to go on. Luckily a maxi skirt works whatever the weather, especially if it is in a slightly heavier material like this one. This beautiful maxi skirt doesn't get worn as often as I would like, because it really is voluminous but my trusty stripy top came out (it really works with maxi skirts!) and I think I managed to pull it off. What do you think? Apologies for my face in all of these pictures, I look super grumpy here for some reason!

Jacket: New Look, top: Oasis, skirt: Marks & Spencer, necklace: Miss Selfridge, shoes: Office, grumpy face: model's own.
To this day, this leather jacket is still one of my favourite ever purchases. I love the shape and fit of it and as it is leather, I just know it will stay a main part of my wardrobe for a long time. The fact I feel super cool when I'm wearing it also helps ;)


Simple accessories in neutral tones are essential when making a maxi skirt work-appropriate. Work (however relaxed it is) is not the time for wacky shoes or make-up!


How would you style a maxi skirt for work ?

Dressing like Druscilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

 Anyone reading my Twitter feed over the past few months will have seen that Mark and I have been watching our way through Buffy (we're only 12 or so years behind!) and I absolutely love it! We're now watching season 6 but I was definitely inspired by Druscilla's wardrobe when I was putting this outfit together!
 

Coat: Topshop, dress: Monki, tights: Tesco, shoes: Office, bag: c/o Accessories direct
I love how Victorian this dress is and I love the contrast of the black accessories too, it looks so dramatic. Now my hair is a bit longer (I have been trying to grow it for about 12 years) I have been trying out different ways to have my hair and this style with the top part pinned back and the curls loose is my new favourite. I hate it when my hair goes in my eyes so this is perfect!


I love a full skirt and this is so swooshy! See what I mean about it looking more dramatic against the black too? These shoes are my absolute favourite heels, I love the chunky heel and the Mary Jane style is one of the only styles I can walk in.


Who is your style inspired by? Are you a Buffy fan? ;)

Marvellous mustard...

I really love this outfit, my friend Matilda gave me this cardigan a while ago and I was never sure what to pair it with as it is such a bright mustard colour. My love affair with mustard has been slowly growing since January last year but I'm still not convinced that the colour suits me, what do you think? I try not to wear jeans more than once a week to work because it feels kind of lazy for me and also because I have so many clothes, I want to wear them all as much as possible! This is such a typical Friday outfit though, the vagaries of public transport and the weather call for some clever layering and this is pretty cosy with the cardigan. 

Cardigan: Gap via Matilda, top: Vero Moda via charity shop, jeans: Topshop, shoes: Betty London ankle boots c/o Spartoo
A close up of that gorgeous print and a necklace I have had longer than I care to remember. I constantly switch between short and long necklaces but I think long ones will always be my favourite, even if they do bash annoyingly on my desk at work!


This shape of blouse is not something I would ever normally choose but I loved the print when I saw it in the charity shop and  it is perfect for making my jeans look a bit smarter for the office. I felt quite 70s inspired in this outfit, I think it's the mustard paired with the floaty blouse and the suede boots.   Apologies for my facial expressions here, I'm not quite sure what was going on with them! I have still been brushing my curls out into waves but I'm not sure if it makes this look more modern or more retro, what do you think?


The most lovely pair of boots, paired with some turn-ups equals casual perfection!


What colours do you find difficult to wear? Any tips for other colours to pair with mustard?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo