Archive for January 2017

Home Archive for January 2017

Winter fatigue

Always this time of year. Winter - I am over you. The weather, for sure, but also the clothes. Dare I say it, but the one thing I always love - yes you little polo neck - I suddenly feel strangled by. I am tempted by emails offering things of gorgeousness that are just not possible to wear now. And I'm bored of jumpers. Every year, at this time, the same. They're still necessary but they're just not exciting any more.

Interestingly I find that so many of the emails I get through are with little dresses that, with the best will in the world, if previous years' weather is anything to go by, we won't be wearing till July. That is absolutely no use to me whatsoever right now. I want to buy things and I want to wear them. Immediately.

So if clothes are out of the climate equation, what's the next best thing? Why that'll be shoes of course.

The thing of beauty - the transitional shoe. Clearly that's a completely fabricated concept and there's no such thing, but there should be. For some people (and I will say some people as it's not me - I can be found wearing ankle boots in 25 degree heat but for the purpose of justifying new shoe purchases, I'm going to shelve that thought) there is that tricky time between boots and sandals. What do you wear?

Well, one option is trainers but we know they divide the nation. Plus for some, they're a no go for work. And for others, they're a no go on taste grounds.

But I have a couple of options up my sleeve which you may find interesting. I say that, like it's something new and exciting. Apologies if I've over egged the pudding here as I'm not reinventing any form of fashion wheel - I am merely re-introducing the humble loafer.

Loafers - a thing of beauty. And a thing of comfort. And a thing for all budgets. Plus they go with everything. I never got round to wearing mine with dresses or skirts but if you'd said to me at the beginning of last year, I would have worn trainers with a midi skirt, I would have said you were insane. Yet it now seems like the most natural thing in the world.

Perfect for giving a different look to jeans, wide leg cropped trousers, wide leg full length versions, culottes, skinnies, peg leg trousers - you name it, they're perfect with them. I also adore with dungarees. Somehow makes them seem lightly more demure (although the husband's raised eyebrow and stifled smirk when I shared my views with him, leads me to believe not everyone buys into this theory).

So last year I caved big style on a big ticket pair. But they are complete classics. Which have totally rocketed in price. Gucci is clearly following a different interest baseline from the rest of us, as the ones I bought are £120 more than they were last year. Are they worth it? How long's a piece of string? I will have them forever and the 12yr old has already said she's having them as soon as her feet are big enough (along with my Louis Vuitton scarf and Anya Hindmarch silver bag which she has begged to use. Errr no. You're 12).

These are the more *reasonable* version.

Gucci Horsebit detailed loafer in black £450

Alternatively there are the Jordaan classic leather loafers (these are the ones I have - which don't have the optional mule back as above - not that you'd ever stamp the back of them down, I could hear my mum turning in her grave were I to do that. This was her biggest bug bear when we were children. In honour of my mum, I would stump up the extra and just get the sturdier Jordanns).

Jordaan Classic Leather Loafer from Gucci £540

And in the red £540

However fear not. Genuinely I don't think you need to spend that much on loafers. It really is for purely sentimental reasons, although yes, the leather is divine and ages like a dream. But blah insane money blah - seriously, there are some amazing options out there.

If you are looking for alternative versions, my top tip for the most similar are from Topshop. I don't actually have a pair of these (I got a gold pair without bar from Kurt Geiger which I wore to death last year and will definitely be wearing this Spring too) but I tried them on loads and the leather is amazing.

Kendall Leather Loafers from Topshop £52

Actually I tell a lie - the Kendall are new for this year, the Karter were the ones from last year. Praying that they bring a pair of the Kendalls out in black as, whilst I like the Karters, there is something about the Kendalls that is perfection. These are pretty epic though.

Karter Loafer in Black from Topshop £62

Adore the detailing on the bar with these ones. Snap them up now before everyone realises loafer season is open. (again, this is not a *thing*. I have totally made this up).

Black LOSS by Carvela from Shoeaholics was £110 now £49 (sign up to their website for 15% off your first order).

Other black versions without any metal detailing.

Autograph Leather Tie Detail Loafers in Black from M&S £59

Tassel Loafers from & Other Stories £65

And if not black, how about white? I went gold last year instead of white but I do sort of wish I'd gone white (maybe this year.... actually I'm going black, definitely).

Karpenter Loafers from Topshop £65

Gold from Carvela at Shoeaholics - Loss loafers - were £110 now £29. Yes, £29 for leather loafers.

Leather Tie Detail from Autograph at M&S £59

And then we have the off the wall ones. Random, deliciously different and not to be worn in the rain. Yes, these are men's shoes but yes they do them in (larger) sizes for women. So long as you haven't got tiny feet, obviously.

Walk London Embroidered Lion Loafers in black were £85 now £41.85

ASOS loafers in leopard print were £40 now £20 (in a 5, 6 and 7) - more men's....

ASOS Loafers in Velvet with Beetle Embroidery were £45 now £18 again men's....

Or the grey skull embroidered version now only £18 yawn men's yawn.

However if we're talking statement shoes. These. Oh these...

Embroidered velvet loafers from Mango £59.99

So have you bought into the loafer look until you can get your sandals out? Plain or embroidered? Bar or no bar? Subtle or statement?

I have clearly decided that whilst I can't wear a statement shirt, I am going to let my shoes do the talking.

As witnessed today with my outfit. And yes, obviously I had to wear a polo neck as it was freezing. It was exceptionally miserable with fog and drizzle all day. So I got the jazz hands boots out and started to dream about all things Spring.

Black leather mini skirt - Zara
Tattoo Me jumper - Donna Ida at Jaeger
Boucle coat - Warehouse
Rawi leopard boots - Isabel Marant
Willow fedora - Penmayne London
Dark grey scarf - hush
Red Soho Disco bag - Gucci

The holiday saga rumbles on. Thank you to everyone who gave amazing advice on South Africa yesterday. Lots to think about and we'll hopefully get something sorted tomorrow. Day of paperwork and research here with the usual after school chaos. Tomorrow I will be back with hmmm.. not sure yet. A couple of things I've been working on today, it will depend how I feel!

The lightbulb moment

That fashion breakthrough. The realisation that sometimes you spend way too long trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. For me, that is the thorny subject of blouses and tops. Most of them. Those that you keep buying and keep trying to love and never wear.

It's when you realise that it's not in fact a blouse that you actually like, it's a shirt. To be fair, it's not a shirt as we know it, it's a silk shirt. Doesn't have to be real silk - there are some fantastic mad made fabrics out there. Essentially we're talking along the lines of a drapey shirt.

Oh and we're talking plain. No frills, no print. I love the look of a stiff white shirt but I can't stand to wear one. I find them ridiculously uncomfortable. Not to mention my slovenly nature means that it would sit in the laundry room after one wash as I hate ironing. I would say "more than anything" but I also absolutely hate making the beds - I'm not sure which is worse. Suffice to say that even when I get round to ironing anything, I'm embarrassingly bad at it.

Plus I just look a mess wearing them. And this is a major problem I have with non silk shirts and bouffant blouses. I'm tall. They come untucked, they're not quite long enough on the body or the arms, they just don't work.

I find a silky shirt more flattering. Perfect untucked over skinnies but as they're so lightweight, they can easily be tucked into trousers, jeans, skirts and dungarees without any excessive bunching round the midriff. I have enough natural padding there without inches of stuffed in cotton, thank you very much. The thinner and drapier the fabric the better for sure. They're also ideal for layering under jumpers. Just fling on a jacket. The more I type, the more I wonder how on earth this didn't occur to me sooner.

These are a no brainer and are so super versatile, we should all be given carte blanche to buy them by the bucket load. Oh and did I mention they're a veritable classic as well. And one last thing - I can hear the murmurs of laundry woes... silk = washing machine in my book. I have never had an issue with washing, allegedly dry clean only, silk blouses.

Here are my picks of what's out there at the minute.

First up and top of my wishlist, from new season at Me+Em.

Side Grosgrain Silk Tunic £199

Another tunic shirt style.

Casual Shirt in Ivory from Jaeger was £99 now £44

Shirt style in flowy fabric at Mango £19.99 This doesn't look like the most interesting item in the world but I wouldn't be wearing it over a pair of random somethings like she's got on. She doesn't look impressed, does she? Pair of jeans, blazer, layers of necklaces and any footwear that takes your fancy would make this the ideal every day fling on outfit for Spring.

Another version in navy from Mango, this time with a pocket £19.99

Classic Silk Shirt from & Other Stories £65

More silk at hush and I love the pocket detail on these.

Cecilia Silk Shirt from hush £99

And whilst the cream is lovely, it's the black that I've got my eye on, again £99.

Oversized now - again these are perfect for skinnies into the Spring. Or cropped flares. Love a lot.

More black. I'm going to go so far as to say I don't think you can have too many black silk shirts.

Oversized Silk Shirt in Black £69 Being tall, oversized is a god send. This would probably be normal size on me, but at least I wouldn't look like Hagrid wearing Hobbit clothing (common occurrence - not that I go out like that, but so so many things I try on....).

Or in the light beige again £69

Similar at Gestuz.

Gestuz Silk Vega Blouse £109 in pink

And then I have another silk shirt that isn't white but it's black and white. I know I said plain but it's monochrome. It's also an Equipment shirt that with the discount ends up costing pretty much the same price as a blouse from Zara. Rude not to include it.

Adalyn printed washed silk shirt from Equipment was £235 now £98.70 BUT there's an extra 40% off at checkout.

And since we had one spotty shirt in, I thought I had to include these. The monochrome one because it's monochrome (duh) but the blue and red one just because it's epic and looks fabulous with denim.

The Silk Shirt from Boden £98

And then of course we have my favourite. My "go to" staple, the blouse I can't live without and wear all the time - the pussy bow blouse. This works with jeans, with skirts, with wide leg trousers, with dungarees - I would happily wear this every day if I could.

Lauren Silk Blouse and Bow Set from Winser London £199, in the black.

In the cream... This is how I wear it although the bow tie is also removable so you can wear as just an open necked, collarless blouse. Perfection. AND definitely machine washable.

And in the navy. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

In the sale at Matches - with an extra 20% off now.

Goloso Blouse from Sportmax was £338 now £202 pre extra 20% off

Noel Pussy Bow Shirt from La Redoute £59

Yuki Pussy Bow Blouse by Only from La Redoute £22

Iris & Ink Pussy Bow £105

So that's me sorted. And that's me not buying any more printed, lace or frilly blouses. There's no point. They're just not me. I am now on a plain, silk blouse mission. As I know they work. Now all I have to do is hang out for the warmer weather so I can wear them on repeat. Are you a print or plain girl? Or can you do both?

In the meantime though, it's still cashmere season and this is what I ended up wearing today. After doing Pilates and a super long dog walk. We didn't make it to Bluewater during the day so we went after school and took the boys for supper. Funnily enough the travel agents wasn't on the agenda with two hyper kids! Tomorrow maybe...

Black cashmere roll neck jumper dress - hush
Black coated skinny jeans - New Look
Faux fur leopard coat - M&S
Susanna boots - Chloe
Black small Tools bag - Balenciaga

I will admit to having jumper fatigue. Tomorrow I am cracking out a silky shirt. I'm wearing dungas, I'm putting on a blazer. I'm going in for Spring... (she says until she gets outside and it's freezing. Maybe I'll try layering with a silky blouse...)

I'm with the brand

Yes that is the brand, not the band. Today, it's t-shirts. If you're a regular Insta user (and if you're not, why not, although be warned, you will lose hours of your life and find hosts of things you need that you never realised you did previously) then you cannot have escaped the tee of the moment which is The Gucci one.

I have thought about it. I've then given myself a big slap around the face and said no. I will be completely and utterly honest, I do not know if I would have been buying it because I love the tee (I think I do) or because I thought it was cool as it's the *it* tee to have. Total *things you're probably not supposed to admit as a fashion blogger* confession time. There's a fine line between following your heart and buying things you love and then buying things because everyone else has got them. Fashion schizophrenia at its worst, of which I am sure I have been a victim of at one time or another (blimey, it's all about the fess ups today, isn't it?).

And because I couldn't honestly say that I loved the t-shirt so much not to care if everyone else thought I was buying it for sheep reasons - that's why I said no. Plus, it's completely irrelevant as I really don't think I could get my head around £320 for a tee (although cost per wear... STOP STOP STOP). Yes, it's all relevant as to income etc blah blah blah but personally there are things I would rather spend my money on.

But that's not to say I'm not a fan of the brand. Not necessarily Gucci (although I am still loving my bag and loafers from last year) but branded things generally. I am not even going to start going down the thorny psychological road of why we do like branded things but yes, hands up, I am generally a marketer's dream.

Whilst this might not stretch to spending £320 on a t-shirt, it doesn't mean I haven't got my eye on a branded top.

So this is what I won't be buying.

Gucci Logo Print Cotton T-Shirt £320

Or a black one...

But I will say I am quite partial to the R&B one (Rag & Bone, not Russell & Bromley). I do swing like a bonkers pendulum between mainstream and totally random and this fulfils my Aquarian need for a brand that's slightly left field.

Rag & Bone for a bargain now. Brand - yup, as I said I like this. Actually like this a lot. Have jeans, have boots (although not that you need to justify affiliation with a brand but it helps) - an extra 20% off at checkout.

Rag & Bone Printed Cotton Shirt was £70 now £35 pre discount from My Theresa

So what would be your pick? (not forcing you to do this by the way.. I have options, as per usual!)

Grey at McQueen.

Printed Tee at McQueen by Alexander McQueen £100

Classic Calvin Klein now £45 Retro tastic.

Or a little Italian chic..

Love Moschino Logo tee £65

However I think have decided to go for the Isabel Marant. We're about to book our Summer holiday to France (camping. Yes, you read that right.. camping. I will need loads of tees won't I? And all the gin).

Kolda Printed Linen T-shirt from Isabel Marant Etoile £100

Just whether to get the black or the white... £100

There's also the Kendrick but I have to say I quite like the coloured one better.

Kendrick Printed Linen T-shirt from Isabel Marant Etoile £115

Another slightly less well known (which is code for *completely new to me*) brand. But love this. Super versatile. And how fab would this look under a blazer with jeans. Which is how I'm planning on wearing mine on repeat once I can get into the car in the morning without having to chip the ice off with a Match Attax card ("NOT THAT ONE MUMMY"...."And I TOLD you not to leave them on the floor of the car.. I may as well just burn my money" We are the veritable Brady Bunch chez nous in the morning).

I love this more than the above, probably as it's not in your face branded. It's just a cool tee actually - which probably means it shouldn't really be in this blog... errr. Oops. Have gone slightly off topic. But then again, isn't there something to be said for a t-shirt that's obviously a "brand" but doesn't have to tell you?

Star Print Short Sleeved T-shirt from Rockins £90

Handily I can recreate this entire outfit. LOVE.

And speaking of tees that you can tell are branded without them having to tell you, my favourites - good old Zoe Karssen. I've found a whole host in the sale at Very Exclusive. The best thing about the Karssen tees is that they're not particularly "in fashion". They're just fab tees and ones from last season are just as good as ones you can buy now - merely a different message on the front. For a fabulous reduction - bothered?

Best thing about these tees from La Karssen is they have a slightly lower neckline than most.

Zoe Karssen French Kissing in the USA was £55 now £22

Another white one.

Zoe Karssen Love T-shirt was £60 now £24

Have to say I'm quite taken with the pink. Tick all those trends with one tee.

Zoe Karssen Hey It's Okay tee was £60 now £24

Good old Whistles. On sale. Stock up now as the ones they have coming through for Spring, really aren't they different. Bar the price.

Whistles C'est Moi Logo Tee from Very Exclusive was £45 now £27

Then we have another French super brand - Etre Cecile.

Velvet applique cotton T-shirt was £65 now £35.75

The epitome of French. Easily identifiable by those in the know. Timeless.

Rouge Bleu Blanc tee by Etre Cecile was £65 now £35.75

Or Etre Cecile - P is for Parisienne was £80 now £40 All the love for this look.

So I shall obviously be adding to my collection as I find them so versatile and so wearable. Now all we need is some slightly warmer weather to wear them.

BUT I shall also be bringing you high street versions. I've thrown in a Whistles one (but only because they're pretty much the same price as the branded ones). However I know you can find a similar look for a lot less money, so I'll be bringing you those this week. And the reason I know you can, is that I have two of them sitting in a carrier bag that I bought on Thursday. Gems I tell you, gems.

Outfit now from yesterday. After the excesses of the end of last week - a quiet weekend was definitely due. Lots of movies, the dreaded tutor (the 10yr old's words not mine although he does make us all suffer. The 10yr old that is, not the poor tutor!), steak dinner and I can't actually remember what else. Oh I may have had a power nap. I am 44 now...

Navy polo neck - Zara
Navy side striped joggers - Me+Em
Navy oversized biker - Me+Em
Superstar sneakers - Golden Goose
Black Small Tools Bag - Balenciaga

And today for three hours at the rugby followed by a highly glamorous trip to the supermarket and hours of homework to endure. I say hours. It was clearly 30 mins homework that required two hours of histrionics before sitting down to do it *weeps*. But it's done. I am now getting ready for a glass of wine and the last Endeavour.

Black swing polo neck - Me+Em
Parka - Jane & Tash
High rise skinny black jeans - Boden
Himalaya boots - Seven Boot Lane
Hat & Gloves - Black
Black Small Tools Bag - Balenciaga

Tomorrow, I am off to Bluewater with the husband. Which you can file under "things that NEVER happen". He thinks we're going watch shopping (for him), I have plans to take him to the Virgin holiday shop... October half term, post 11+exam stress holiday to sort out. I (and all three children) want to go back to Florida, he thinks South Africa is a better idea. Discuss... Ooh and in the meantime if anyone has any suggestions of any good B&B's to stay at in the Burgundy area of France, I would be beyond grateful for recommendations. Needs to sleep 5. And be boy child friendly...

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