Frills 'n' Spills

I have been feeling pretty ropy recently but it was Mark's birthday on April fool's day and rather than wallowing at home, we decided to go out to Gloucester Quays for a little bit of shopping and a lot of food at Portivo Lounge. We are massive fans of the chain and Impero Lounge is one of our favourite places to go when we visit our friends in Portishead so we had high hopes! The food was delicious and although the atmosphere was a little lacking, it was early on a Wednesday night so we can forgive them for that! I didn't want to get all dressed up but as we were celebrating Mark's birthday, I wanted to make some effort so went for my favourite skinny jeans and a jazzy top instead. It seemed fitting that I wore my birthday present from him on his birthday so I pulled this gorgeous camel coat out of the wardrobe and it was the perfect finishing touch to this outfit. Outlet shopping can be a bit hit and miss but I am a massive fan and I even managed to pick up a few bargains (including this gorgeous Gap dress) which I will be sharing soon :)

The sleeves are the best part about this top-  they are much more interesting than regular sleeves and are super cosy too- no cardigan is needed with these bad boys! The print on this top is really unusual too, it reminds me of ink stains and is much more interesting than your bog standard florals...

Are you a fan of outlet shopping?

I spent a good portion of last weekend wandering around the many shops at Clarks Village in Street, Somerset. I was quite restrained (for me) and limited myself to this dress and pair of shoes and a super jazzy pair of trousers for the summer. Unfortunately the mornings are still a bit gloomy here so my coat was still necessary but I'm so glad that I am able to take photos outside again. I think every fashion blogger hates the impracticality of winter!

Just as I thought we were finally moving into Spring time, back came the rain. It has been utterly miserable here for the past few days and so I have been looking for some brighter pieces to wear. I wore this outfit a few weeks ago in similar weather and the coral skirt was the perfect antidote to add some cheer to the gloomy days. This Warehouse skirt was an absolute bargain in the Christmas sales - for just £5 I got the perfect A-line skirt in one of my favourite colours. Thank you shopping gods! (I also bought this dress at the same time, it was definitely a good day to go shopping!) Warehouse is one of those brands where I love their clothes but I find them just that little bit too expensive to shop at, unless there is a sale. I absolutely love every Warehouse thing I own (this shirt and top get a lot of wear) but I have never bought anything full price from them...

Which shops do you only ever buy from in the sales? Are you a hoarder?

I think everyone has found the last week or so a bit of a shock if they were off over Christmas and New Year. Going back to work is killer. Although I prefer a routine, when you have been getting up at 11 and lazing around on the sofa all day, getting up at 5 am is very hard to do. Luckily this beautiful tweed dress from Monsoon (favourite sale item?) made my first day back much nicer! I love love love the tweed and the fact it has pockets MADE MY DAY. Please excuse my dazed expression in these photos, this was about half 5 so I look completely slightly dopey...

I love pinafore dresses (see here and here for proof!) and I love the fact that this dress can be worn on its own or  layered up with one of my many sheer blouses for a slightly different look. The length is perfect for work and although I felt slightly like a schoolgirl, I think this is one of those outfits where you show a bit of  personality, but it is still appropriate for a more conservative office...

Every year certain colours come back around and burgundy/oxblood/berry/bordeaux,whatever you want to call it, is one that you can guarantee everyone will be wearing, come the winter months .  I must hold my hands up, I am a big fan of the colour and I seem to have acquired more than a few items in this gorgeous berry shade over the years...

I promised you a review of my (other) new glasses so here you go, these beauties from Gok Wan have become my 'everyday' specs as they are more subtle than my other pair and the slight Miss Moneypenny look to them works better in the office I feel ;) I'm still not used to my face with spectacles (any tips on how to get used to them would be much appreciated!) but Mark thinks they make me look older, what do you guys think?

Here is your first look too at my gorgeous new handbag! Part birthday present and part reward to myself for my promotion, this baby is a 100% leather bag from Radley in a (you guessed it!) lovely shade of burgundy that is the perfect size for an everyday handbag.

The focus of the outfit for me though was this gorgeous pair of patent Mary Janes (a bargain at Swindon designer outlet a few weeks ago) They are the kind of shoes that make you do a jig of happiness whenever you catch a glimpse of them. They are surprisingly comfortable considering the height and even I managed a whole day in them- total success!

Even my drink matched! My first black forest hot chocolate of the year went down a treat before I headed to Zizzi's, talk about an indulgent afternoon!

I have seen quite a few bloggers wearing those amazing checked Uniqlo trousers and when I saw how awesome Jen, Hannah and Claire looked, I wanted in on the checked action. I picked up this pair of trousers after a lunchtime trip to New Look and I love the slim cut mixed with the check pattern. 

I have never bought any collaboration pieces before now  as there has never been one which I felt justified the cost of the items in question but when I saw the Uniqlo x Orla Kiely collaboration, I fell head over heels. I loved the colourful prints and the fact that it wasn't massively over-priced (take note H&M!) 

Apologies for the awkward face in these photos, I have had the most horrific cold/flu the past week or so and this was the red raw nose stage- not pretty. It was a bit of a faff getting hold of my lovely clothes as the courier seemed to mislay the parcel but luckily I was able to re-order all but one thing. I think I actually prefer this dress in the green/grey than the original red I had picked...

I love the fact that this dress has cute cropped sleeves, I prefer 3/4 length sleeves merely because I can still show off my snazzy watch ;)

Can you tell I have been watching Mad Men again?! 2 Mad Men inspired outfits in the space of a week may just give it away! I panic bought this dress with a credit voucher before it expired [learn from my mistakes: DON'T LOSE YOUR RECEIPTS!] but actually I love it! It is similar to this dress from Topshop but much dressier...

Wow. What a weekend! I spent this weekend in Birmingham with a group of lovely ladies drinking, dancing and having fun and I had the most amazing time. #bloggersinbrum definitely needs to become a regular thing! I bought this dress yesterday in Forever 21 and it was perfect for a lazy Sunday after a night out!  I have never bought anything from Forever 21 before, despite having visited several times as I just find the Birmingham store massively overwhelming. Apparently they are downsizing it slightly and reorganising it so hopefully it will be easier to find my way around, there are plenty of gems in amongst the rails though, you just have to be patient enough to search!