Electric blue...

A dress this pretty was almost guaranteed to find it's way into my wardrobe. I loved it at full price and then it was reduced down to about £10 and somehow managed to land on my shopping basket. Exmouth really was the holiday of dresses ( I think I picked up about 5 when I was there) and this has to be one of the prettiest. Electric blue is a colour that never fails to cheer me up and several people commented on how pretty the dress was, it doesn't get much better than that for a feel-good outfit! 

Dress: Dorothy Perkins, shoes: Dorothy Perkins, bag: vintage from the Clothes Show
It was worn for a day of sightseeing and tea-shopping in Topsham and was perfect for adding a little colour to a grey and gloomy day...


The detailing is absolutely fantastic although I keep bending the sequins with the strap of my bag, I'm hoping it won't cause too much personal damage though!


This was just huge and I'm not sure what it was used for, it is obviously something to do with the sea as it was right by the harbour but I can't work it out... any ideas? 


The harbour also made the perfect backdrop for a few more silly poses although I did get some funny looks from the bus driver trying to reverse behind me, he must have thought I was crazy! Apologies for the fluffy hair, it was newly washed and sea-breezes were playing havoc with it...


What colour is an instant mood lifter? What's your favourite dress?
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Keep or return? Primark cowboy boots...

I have been searching for the perfect black ankle boots for a while now. They have to have a slight chunky heel so they give me a bit of height but so that I can also walk in them, not cut off my legs too much and most importantly not cost too much as they are likely to get caught in the rain/snow/mud. Originally I wanted these boots from Topshop (for some reason they have taken the black ones offline) but at £62 they weren't exactly screaming affordable! 

Imagine my delight then when I walked into New Look and saw these beauties. Unfortunately they weren't available in my size in store or online so in the end I opted for a pair from good old Primark. 


They are really comfortable and for £15 I think they are definitely affordable and I won't be worrying too much about keeping them in pristine condition. The only thing I am worried about is whether they make my legs look too short when not worn with black tights? 




I love the idea of wearing short boots with my many many dresses but I'm not sure whether they completely cut off my legs or whether I can pull off boots and dresses a la Sienna Miller. For £15 though, I can't help but think that they are worth taking a punt on... 


What do you think? Keep or return?
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Nude and pin-up inspired...

Anyone looking at my blog titles recently could wonder what kind of site they were on but there is no better way to describe this outfit. It has to be one of my favourites from the holiday and it was the perfect mix of comfort and effort...

Jacket: Miss Selfridge, top: H&M, shorts: Urban Outfitters, shoes: Marks and Spencer. 
This top has to be one of my favourites but it is starting to thread and get all worn so I desperately need a replacement... here's hoping H&M will read this! 


I picked these shorts up when I bought my blouse from Urban Outfitters and they are so comfy. Now the detailing is gorgeous, they have buttons all down the leg, but my favourite part has to be the elasticated waist. Granny-tastic and perfect for when you have eaten your fill of knickerbocker glories and ideal for throwing on over a bikini for the beach. 

Nail varnish: 'Percolated Pink' by Max Factor.

Owl themed? It's going to be coming home with me! 

Shirt: Marks and Spencer
As I am a complete and utter doofus, I managed to spill said knickerbocker glory down the front of my cream blouse so I had to swap my top before heading to the beach. I can't believe how much wear I have gotten out of this shirt, originally I bought it as a work blouse but I love it knotted with a skirt or a pair of shorts for maximum pin-up potential! Paired, as ever, with my favourite tan loafers...

What do you wear to the beach? Do you have an unusual fashion favourite?

I have to link to my new favourite blog 'A fine day for sailing' too, I absolutely LOVE Islabell's style and spent all of today scrolling through her archive. Such beautiful photography and fabulous style :) 
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Exmouth: sun, sea and swimming... PICTURE HEAVY!

I have just returned from 2 weeks in the lovely seaside town of Exmouth, spent with Mark and my family and I can honestly say it was lovely. it wasn't anything fancy but I have returned refreshed and rejuvenated from my enforced ban  break from the internet and some rather yummy food! I didn't do much but potter around [I am a young granny after all!] but I did manage to snap a few pictures! I know seaside holidays aren't to everybody's taste but I was raised on them and I don't think they can be beaten.  The weather was lovely and I was able to potter around town in the charity shops and then down to the beach for a quick swim too...bliss! 

























♥ Georgian rose tea in Topsham. 
♥ Fish Medley Platter.
♥ Chocolate and strawberry roulade. 
♥ The gorgeous Georgian tearooms in Topsham. 
♥ Topsham station. 
♥ A charity fete at a local nursing home [yes I'm cool] with fresh fruit, jams and flowers. 
♥ Feast ice-creams, classic holiday fare. 
♥ Exmouth Marina and a future holiday home? 
♥ Posing in the park after having my hair cut. 
♥ Oh buoy! 
♥ Colourful beach-huts and moody skies. 
♥ Possibly the best letterbox ever?
♥ Footprints in the sand. 
♥ A colourful signpost. 
♥ The tearooms again! 
♥ Hanging baskets. 
♥ A giant papier mache lion at the nursing home (I don't know why either but I wanted to bring him home...) 
♥ A cheesy pose from Mark. 
♥ Ice-cream treats. 
♥ Exmouth clock tower.

Unfortunately it was over far too quickly and I am already missing the smell of the sea and all of that clotted cream... I  dread to think how much weight I have put on but if you can't enjoy yourself on holiday, when can you?! I was a little sad and nostalgic as it reminded me of all of the holidays we used to go on as children with my grandparents but this will probably be one of the last times we all go together as a family. At least I have the memories and the sand in my shoes to remind me! 

Do you like seaside holidays? What would your perfect holiday entail?

P.S. I am looking for people to guest post towards the end of the month as I am off to Italy for a week to celebrate my parent's 25th wedding anniversary, so if you are interested, PLEASE give me a shout! :)
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Hotpants... really?!

Shorts: New Look, blouse: Urban Outfitters, shoes: Marks and Spencers, necklace: Urban Outfitters, bag: ASOS, goofy pose: model's own.
Normally I accuse my sisters of stealing my clothes but I was overcome with jealousy when I saw my sister’s new shorts. They looked like she had found them in a charity shop - vintage high-waisted Levis - but they were in fact from New Look. I knew then that I had to hunt down a pair for myself and managed to snag some for £12. I love the fact that they are high -waisted as they actually manage to fit my weird waist/hip ratio and I feel a lot more confident than when I keep having to hitch my shorts up! 


The necklace is my new favourite, I love initial necklaces but there never seem to be any ‘M’ ones left so when I saw this, I snapped it up! I knew that the shorts would look perfect with one of my many sheer blouses and this one fitted the bill nicely. I love the colour of it (although it is much more teal than light blue!) and the sleeves were perfect for protecting me from the gusty sea-breezes. The detailing on this blouse is lovely and I can see it working for work or cocktails too.  I have to say that Danni and Claire inspired me with styling these shorts as I am yet to see anyone who looks better in a sheer shirt/short combo. 

The nail varnish is ‘Toasted Almond’ by 17 and is a gorgeous pale gold colour which seems to go with everything.
I am quite proud that this whole outfit is made up of sale items, I managed to snag these gorgeous leather sandals from good old M&S for £6 (!) and after some faffing around with a corkscrew (to pierce a new buckle hole) they fit me perfectly and are much comfier than you would imagine for the heel height...maybe I will learn how to walk in heels yet!  I had to swap them for my trusty New Look flats whilst on the beach though, as rock-climbing in heels is never a good idea and I didn’t want to spend my hols in plaster... Looking over this post, I am quite proud that I have managed to colour co-ordinate my outfits with my picture locations, didn't Mark do a good job?! 


Do you steal your sister’s clothes? What’s your best sale bargain? 


P.S. I am very proud of Mark who has made it into The Guardian, New Statesman, Wired.co.uk, Rock Paper Shotgun, PC Gamer and Indie Games weblog for his fab game which you can download HERE. 

P.P.S. I am on holiday at the moment with no internet so I won't be able to comment on posts until I am home!
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An outfit that is sheer and spotty with suspenders... can it work?

From reading the title of this post, you may have thought that the contents were NSFW but I can assure you your boss should have no objections, unless they have a particular dislike of bloggers awkwardly posing on rocks. The lovely Emily at at MyTights.com sent me some rather delicious tights to try and I tried to incorporate them into both dressy and casual outfits. These tights were my favourite of the bunch, classic but with a twist and fantastically versatile. I loved the seam on these and thought that the length of the sheer skirt would help to tone down the more risqué element of these tights. 

Top: charity shop, skirt: Yayer, cycling shorts: H&M, tights: c/o Mytights.com , shoes: New Look
I saw this top whilst rummaging through the charity shops in Stow-on-the-Wold and I had to have it, I love the fact it is completely 80s in shape but I am still able to tie it up like any good 50s pin up would ;)


I am slowly being converted to sleeves too, perfect for covering up my pasty arms protecting my delicate porcelain skin (!) from sunburn. Fortunately the loose fit meant that I didn't overheat in the glimpse of sunshine. Win-win in my book!



You can just see the love seam poking out of the skirt here but when I walked you caught glimpses of it too which I also really liked, the swooshiness of the skirt definitely came into play here! 


This outfit was a bit of a spontaneous decision as I wasn't sure about pairing up two sheer items in one outfit but I figured that sometimes you just have to go with comfort. The tights definitely gave me a wiggle in my walk and made the outfit more playful (no mean feat when working in monochrome!) and sometimes that's just what you need... 


Would you wear suspender tights? How would you style these? 

P.S. I am on holiday at the moment with no internet so I won't be able to comment on posts until I am home!

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