Frills 'n' Spills

I know it is a bit of a blogger cliché but I am so glad that Autumn is nearly here! I am definitely not built for sunnier climes (the heat in Barcelona nearly finished me off!) so the falling temperatures are very welcome here in Cheltenham, I'm not a massive fan of the darker mornings but the addition of boots and jumpers back into my wardrobe almost makes up for it! ;) When Brantano got in touch to offer me a pair of boots to review, picking this Clarks pair was a real no-brainer. I love Clarks shoes, there's nothing worse than having wet and cold feet and I knew that these boots would be a practical choice for my walks to work during the winter. Obviously they look great with jeans but I was really pleased how they turned out with this cute floral dress too. I can often err towards the girly in my outfits so adding a slight edge with the jacket and the boots was a nice change of pace. 

I have had this jacket since my first year of uni- a whole 8 years (sob!) but as far as I can see, it only appeared on the blog around 2011! It was such a bargain too, I can't believe that I only paid £20 for a real leather jacket! This glossy lipstick is a fairly new addition to my ever-growing collection. Revlon make some great chubby lip pencils and this one in Provocateur is great for adding a swipe of colour. 

These boots remind me of a more polished version of my Dr Martens and are equally fun for stomping around in.  A word of warning: they come up a lot smaller than Clarks shoes usually do, I normally fit into a 7 without any problems but the 8 in these just about fits. I know that the leather will give slightly but it is definitely worth sizing up in these, especially if you are pairing them with some chunky socks! I always worry about making my legs look short with calf length boots but hopefully the addition of black tights helps to negate the effect?!

Guess what? It's Maria wearing stripes and red lipstick again! I know, this has been a bit of a uniform for me for many years now but when they look so good together, who can resist?! I picked up this cute striped dress on my lunch break (working in town is lethal!) and wore it into work the next day. I have no self control and new clothes are the hardest thing to resist. I love the 1960s shape of this and I felt pretty darn cool in this outfit. It was also super fun to wear which is always a good thing! I couldn't believe that I was resorting to thick tights so early in the year but I guess summer never really got started. Autumn is my favourite season (blogger cliché alert!) and I can't wait to try this with black boots and burgundy or green tights once the leaves start to drop! I really wanted to wear my favourite red bag with this outfit but a bag that small is just not practical for work, however cute it is! 

What's your uniform?

Subtle they ain't but I can't resist the millions of layers of petals!

What are your favourite flowers?

P.S. Debenhams Flowers sent me these peonies to review but if I didn't love them, I wouldn't feature them. If this has tempted you to order some next day flowers, use code DFBLOG25 to get 25% off any bouquet except the flowers by post range :)

P.P.S. Want peonies on a carnation budget? Click here for an ace tutorial which I will definitely be trying soon!

Stereotypical title I know! Recently Joules got in touch to see if I was interested in reviewing a piece from their new Autumn range and I jumped at the chance as they are a brand I really love. I chose this beautiful navy Portia wool peacoat and couldn't have been more excited to try it. It was delivered to my office and when I unwrapped it, all of my colleagues were cooing over it and stroking it. What more can you ask for in a coat?! I wore this outfit for my birthday and the coat was the perfect finishing touch for crunching through the leaves in the park. I look slightly like a flasher in this picture but there really is no good way to show off the lining of your coat! This is the perfect Autumn outfit in my eyes, there's nothing better than cosy coats and woolly knits for when the temperatures drop...

Just look at the gorgeous gold buttons too! When I unwrapped the coat, each of these buttons was individually wrapped to prevent them from being scratched- now that's attention to detail...

I found this cute checked wool mini skirt in Sainsbury's a few weeks ago but had forgotten about it until Jen was asking about yellow wool suits on Twitter, whoops! I love wool mini skirts and this will look equally good with thick cable knit tights as it does with nude ones although I'm not ready to give up (nearly) bare legs just yet! This bag is one of my favourites and I always seem to pull it out at this time of year, the red is perfect for jazzing up duller colours... 

Are you a Joules fan?

It should come as no surprise that the Orla Kiely x Clarks range is a massive hit with bloggers, I mean who could resist the cute patent heels and dreamy leather boots? My love for Orla Kiely is well documented on this blog and although the shoes are still expensive, the shoes are much more affordable than the catwalk collection and I know I will get a lot of wear out of them. I ummed and aahed over which pair to get but practicality won out and this patent black Dorothy pair were soon winging their way towards me.  I had to size up half a size, as did Sarah so just something to bear in mind if you are investing in a pair. As soon as they arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear with them- this H! by Henry Holland dress is one of my favourites and the polkadots are suitably fun. I didn't realise just how short it was though, I think I will be sticking to black tights with it in the future! We decided to take these photos by the river again as I wanted somewhere prettier than my usual spot and I think they really worked- thank goodness Mark is such a patient photographer!

This is the face of unmistakable glee- there's nothing better than when your outfit, hair and make-up conspire to work with you, rather than against you! I recently bought Max Factor's new Skin Luminizer foundation and I absolutely love it, it makes my face all bright and glowy, perfect for when I have had less sleep than normal!

And just look how pretty the soles are! I have worn the shoes a couple of times and the pattern is already starting to wear off so I can't imagine it will be long before it all goes :( I can attest to how comfy the heel height is too, I am awful at wearing heels all day but these are as comfy as flats so I couldn't be happier. Pretty and practical, what's not to like?!

No, not a newspaper but this rather ace outfit! I have always been a fan of buying things in different colours if I like them and I loved this lilac Monki maxi so much that I bought the monochrome version too! FYI they are both on sale at the moment too. Go and buy them, you will not regret it. These are the perfect summer dress! I love a skirt that I can waft around in and this does not disappoint, mainly thanks to the slits in the side of the skirt. The skirt trails behind you wonderfully for maximum swooshing potential!

Brit Stitch is a bit of a blogger favourite and for good reason, their bags are gorgeous! I had been looking at buying a satchel for ages but had never taken the plunge as I didn't like the boxy shape of them. Luckily Brit Stitch's Full Pint satchel is curvier and way more 'me'. I love the fact that they are handmade in the UK too, you can see the level of craftsmanship that has gone into each of these! I ummed and ahhed between the poppy and vintage red but I am glad that I went for the latter, it is much more versatile! Although I am totally in love with the bag (I have been known to stroke it lovingly) I wasn't very impressed by the service. My bag was delivered to the wrong address (billing rather than shipping) and I had such a faff getting hold of it which was super frustrating, especially as I love the bag so much! 

This dress is somewhat of a blogger favourite, Sarah wore it first back in November (and I loved it then) then when Alex posted about it at the end of January and it was in the sale, I caved. It is such a gorgeous dress and as well as getting so many nice comments about it (both online and off!), I know at least 3 people who bought it as a result of me being so excited about it. There's a stained glass dress wearing army out there! ;) I took Alex's advice and sized down a couple of sizes and it fits perfectly. I have avoided smocks up till now as I was worried about looking like a sack of potatoes but I will definitely be trying more (there's something I never thought I would be saying!) I'm not sure why I look so confused/grumpy in these photos, as I was super smiley for the whole day, perhaps it's the 5.00 am starts?!   

The look of love! I love the little sleeves on this dress (they make it way more work appropriate) and it is made of a gorgeous heavy jersey so is super flattering too. This fits just like a skater dress as I have sized down. Not bad for a mere £14 eh?! It is still available in a few sizes AND you can get it with am extra 20% off here with the code 20MORE, go go go! 

What unusual prints have you got in your wardrobe?

When I won the lovely Law's Tesco voucher competition a while ago, I was really chuffed. I love Tesco clothes and I couldn't wait to pick out some new bits and pieces for my wardrobe. I usually head straight for the dresses but I have been trying to incorporate more separates into my wardrobe so instead I went for this lovely boxy top and patterned skirt. Paired with my bright blue blazer and my oversized glasses, I was told that I looked like a bit of a marketing cliché , can you tell that I work in a creative industry?! ;) I wore this outfit to chair a meeting and it was perfect, I felt confident, but still pulled together, a difficult combination to get right! Until I can steal Harriet's wardrobe, this will have to be my go to when I need a little confidence boost...

Here you can see the texture of the top a bit better and also the gorgeous pattern on this skirt. I sized up as I didn't want it to be too skin-tight but actually the fit is pretty generous, so definitely go for your usual size or even one down. This was sitting a lot lower on my hips than I would like but at least it made it a slightly more work-appropriate length! Sometimes I find patterned skirts quite difficult to wear but I think with a shorter length, they are quite a fun way to add a bit of interest to an outfit, what do you think?

You can see from these photos that the weather has changed and Autumn is well and truly here. Just like every other blogger out there, Autumn is my favourite season and I have been enjoying the slight chill in the morning as I leave for work. I'm sure all of this will change when the temperatures drop proper but for now I am feeling pretty happy. I once read somewhere that people are most comfortable in the season that they are born in so my affinity for Autumn is bred in ;) I am a real fan of wearing bright colour when it is grey outside and this Matalan blazer has been getting a lot of wear recently!

This top also gets worn a lot, this time I paired it with red nails and a blue blazer rather than a red blazer and blue nails! I have been repeating the same outfits (or at least elements of them) a lot recently, I need a dash of inspiration from somewhere I think, staring at Pinterest and wishing hard for a new wardrobe just ain't cutting it!

Believe it or not, these are only the second pair of blue shoes that I have ever owned and they have barely left my feet. I am always impressed with Betty London shoes and this pair fit my feet like a glove. The only other brand that comes close for me at the moment is Clarks. It can be so difficult to get ballet flats to fit properly but these hug my feet and even have support for the balls and arch of my feet - winner!

What's your favourite season?

This top was a charity shop bargain from Primark which I really love, the print reminds me of terracotta tiles and the colours are deliciously seventies - what more could you ask for in a top?! My beloved mustard cardigan provides the perfect layer to protect against the creeping Autumnal chill. I am really looking forward to wearing cosy knits and ankle boots again but the colder weather has been a bit of a shock in the mornings, I need to get used to it again!

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...

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!

How would you style this oversized jumper?