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Be more Mick...

..Hucknall that is... as in Simply Red. Not as in channelling Mr Hucknall's style. I'm not even sure what that is and suffice to say, I'm not that interested in looking into it.

But red.. oh red red red - bring me all things red.

Yes I love it when mixed with pink but actually - I'm suddenly favouring a head to toe red look. I did it the other day for pottering around on Sunday but today - for meetings in London, I went head to toe in ROUGE.

And it's the one outfit that I wear that elicits the most (positive I'd like to think..) comments from people, completely unprompted. Total strangers telling me that my outfit has cheered them up. Surely that's worth giving it a go?

Go on... I'm not going to lie - it does seem weird at first (I would advise not listening to any comments a helpful husband may have...) but it works. It absolutely works.

First up - easing you in gently with not a full on red job. But a lovely one just the same.

William and Paige Love Slogan Jumper £30

As people always say I never do enough v neck jumpers.

V Neck Sweater at Mango in a cotton mix £35.99

Swing Jumper at Me+Em in V Neck Rib £159 15% off with the code feb15

Chunky cable knit at Boohoo £25

Funnel Neck Wool Knit at Whistles £109

Longline cashmere jumper at Me+Em £249 but 15% off with the code feb15.

Blouse at Uniqlo. This with a pair of trousers and a red blazer would be the most sublime - if out there - work outfit.

Uniqlo U Open Collar Long Sleeve Shirt £24.90

Apparently this one is orange but it definitely looks a red orange to me. And either way - all the shades of red together just work. Definitely the more the merrier.

Women Linen Blended Gathered 3/4 Sleeve Blouse £24.90

Blouse at Mango. A variation on a bow theme. I know a lot of people struggle with the fussiness of some bows but this is a much flatter, neater version which hopefully will work.

Contrast seam bow blouse from Mango £49.99

Melina Paperbag Trousers from Boden £80

More trousers at Mango.

Contrast seam trousers £49.99

Orrr would love either any of the jumpers or the blouses with a midi skirt.

New in at Mango - textured pleated skirt £49.99 in cherry

And then of course, you can go in for a red penny and in for a red pound with matching shoes as well. You're basically becoming a red Smurf.

Rowan Zip Front Suede Boots from Whistles £169

In the sale at Topshop.

Bonbon Point Kitten Heel Sock Boots were £32 now £20

Brandy Patent Boots from Topshop £45

And here I am in my almost head to toe, red outfit. I had planned on wearing red shoes and having a red bag but snow stopped play and I went for trainers to be on the safe, walk to the station, side. And I had a lot of stuff to lug about so went for a burgundy tote. As my red bag is the size of a pop tart.

Coat and trousers - M&S (part of paid partnership aw17)

Trainers - Rogue Matilda (gift current)

Bag - Hill & Friends (gift aw17)

Jumper - Me+Em (gift current)

Sunglasses - Tom Ford from Very Exclusive (aw17)

So I am all over the head to toe look. It doesn't have to be red, I am very much fancying a navy ensemble - watch this space tomorrow. In fact, I just bought an amazing navy coat from H&M (over on Insta stories), not online unfortunately, but I think there's a navy blog up my sleeve in the near future.

Any other colours you think would work? How about a cobalt/ocean blue theme? Or green.. OOOH greeeeeeeeeeeen... tell me, tell me, tell me.... PINK! Got to do one on pink, surely? Over to you for your suggestions...

Fixation time...

...yet again. So first of all it was the black dress from yesterday that proved to be elusive - today, I am after something that I would have thought would be pretty simple... a red or a navy skirt. Ideally midi, I would happily go a maxi. It just needs to be navy or red.

I'm not after the moon on a stick here - just a skirt. How hard can that be?

FREAKING VERY.

I do this a lot - get in my head that my life will be better (first world problems and a whole heap of exaggeration there..) if I manage to find a red or navy midi skirt. The interesting thing is, if you put me on the sport I'd probably struggle to remember why I wanted them, but I do know that I've thought many a time this season - WHY can't I find one I like? Mostly navy but red would work just as well.

Let the search begin. I have done brief research before writing this and I have to say, it's not looking good. But I tend to research as I write (all the organised here) so we'll see what I come up with and if I can actually remember why I want one.

Actually I do know - jumpers and sweatshirts for during the day with trainers and boots and in the evening with blouses and heels. TA DAH!

So first up...

Belt long skirt from Mango £25.99 It's not that I hate it. It's just a bit too navy Handmaid's Tale. I'm looking for more Gone With The Wind flounce. Basically.

This is definitely what I'm after. Except not, being 5ft10. I had two amazing (actually I had more than that) skirts from M&S last year. One black, one white - both from Autograph and both worn a LOT. I will definitely wear them again - I just WISH they did them in a navy or a red. Well. I say that. I've maybe realised that there's something a bit "80s gym kit" about a navy skirt? Does anyone know what I mean?

Cotton Blend Wrap A-Line Midi Skirt £49.50

And then if we're going down the gym style route - how about throwing in some kilt detail. In for a penny, in for a pound. I have to say I LOVE this. Not so much the price tag.. ouch. Check out that buckle porn though....

Pleated wool-blend skirt from Toga at Matches £615

More pleats in navy at M&S and not a whiff of lacrosse about this one.

Velvet Pleated A-Line Skirt from M&S £35

A sheen to this one which again, I think makes it party worthy. But at the same time - fling on with a pair of trainers and a sweatshirt for the day.

ASOS Tall High Waisted Scuba Midaxi Skirt £35

However I have found one that I absolutely love. Perfect length, perfect amount of swish, not so perfect price. It's the amount of fabric. There's oodles. And that's what there needs to be, I've realised - lots of material. A personal thing but I am currently obsessed with all things full.

Wrap style cotton blend skirt from Teija at Matches £462

A bargain at Uniqlo...

JW Anderson Quilted Skirt was £49.90 now £24.90

Am also throwing in a print one as it's navy and white and I could SO do this - again for me, if it were longer. I'll change the record.

Printed jersey midi skirt from Etre Cecile was £145 now £78

Then we come onto the red. Scant pickings. Seriously not something that clearly other people want.

ASOS Tailored Simple Midi Skirt with Self Style Belt £35

So this is the same as the navy one above from Autograph and I think it looks much better in the red. Although still too short for me.

Cotton blend wrap A-line skirt £49.50

For the petite amongst you (and no, I can't find this in the Tall or even the regular in this colour). Alas no pockets but the perfect length and, I think, proof that you CAN wear midis if you're not cursed with height. The model here is 5ft2 and I have total skirt length envy.

ASOS Petite Midaxi Suba High Waisted Prom Skirt £35

Again - a velvet pleated number. This one definitely has a festive vibe to it.

Velvet Pleated A-Line Midi Skirt from M&S £35

And that's it - I upped the budget ridiculously - still nada. Red skirt fail, I'd say. Unless you're petite and in that case - please can you buy the midaxi one? PLEASE?!

I did cheat the system and ended up purchasing navy jersey wide leg cropped trousers. Total impulse purchase. That I love. That I think totally works. For £15 from Uniqlo.

So... I think I might have managed to talk myself out of a red or navy skirt unless one jumps into my lap (ie the Teija one from Matches....Sales alert set. Well it's not, as that would imply I have a technical bone in my body and I don't).

Jumper - Luke Edward Hall x John Smedley exclusive to Bicester Village
Navy Wide Leg Cropped Trousers - Uniqlo (as above)
Superstar trainers - Golden Goose
Green Trench - Acne
Red Soho Disco Bag - Gucci

Tomorrow I am back with - unlike me - something practical. Warm and practical. And it's not boots. But, unless you live in much sunnier climes, I pretty much think it's something that we all wear. And if you don't - maybe you will.

In the meantime - can someone reminded my why I wanted a red or navy skirt? And someone said to me recently that pleated skirts have had their day. What do we think? I'm going to throw it out there and say, I don't really care, I still like them so I'm going to carry on wearing mine. Thoughts? Are we skirt people? Or do we want more trouser options?

Red alert

It's that time again when I get the pleasure of perusing all things perfect in M&S.

And this month, it was tricky to decide what to focus on, as I pretty much wanted all of it. But in the end, it was the plethora of red that sold it to me.

Red, red and more red. Mixing it up, wearing it together, go clashing, keep it classic, return to the on trend '80s by teaming it with black and grey. All the rules have been broken this season.

Red is the colour that, this season, you really can't live without. And the best thing about the rule book having been thrown out of the window is that it offers up so much more versatility. No longer do you have to worry about it only working in certain outfits - you can wear it with everything and anything.

Or at the same time, if you're really not comfortable in head to foot scarlet - you could just throw a hint in for a nod to the seasonal favourite. Pick a jumper, trousers, blouse, blazer or coat and just add it in to your wardrobe. Red works with so many colours. All the neutrals obviously, but it also looks amazing with green, love it with khaki, clash with orange, purple or pink.

And this month, I've added an extra element in (was tempted for a millisecond to call it "an extra je ne sais quoi" but realised I sounded like a tool) - over on Insta stories you can see some changing rooms videos. *Hopefully* this all works but with technology not being my strongest point, let's all not hold out breath. It should give you an option though to see the clothes in action. Walkies and talkies. (on Instagram, @doesmybumlook40)

First up, I'm starting with my favourite option. The red suit.

Straight Leg Trousers from Autograph £45 Size wise, I took the 12. The 10 did fit but they were slightly spray on. Which wasn't the look I was going for. I wanted them looser.

Autograph Single Breasted 2 Button Blazer £69 I took a 10 in this - the 8 also fitted, so I do think this is on the large side.

Leather Stiletto Heel Toe Cap Ankle Boots £79 from Autograph One thing I would say about M&S shoe sizing is to always size down. If you are a 40 for example and always take a 7, I find that they are enormous in M&S and always need a 6.5 or even a 6.

And then you can add in what you'd like as a top.

Now this does look as if the writing is white but in reality, it's a silvery grey. It's not glitter glitter but there is a definite slight metallic edge to it. Perfect for the Christmas jumper that won't have you edging into Noel Edmonds territory (I don't know why I think Noel Edmonds always wears a full on Christmas jumper...he would though, wouldn't he? With matching head attire...)

Je Suis Belle Jumper £27.50

I did say I was going to explore red on red on red and so here we have it.

Of course you can then change it up - and I have to say, this is the look that I prefer.

Hot Pink Cashmere Jumper from Autograph £89 Rather randomly, this only seems to come in every other size - so 8, 12, 16, 20... I will say that I picked up the 12 and it could definitely be a large 10. Ergo I would assume that the 8 would be a small 10. Clear as mud? The pictures also don't do this justice. The colour is simply the most perfect pink (so long as you love bright pink...).

Look how happy I am with it!

I then did team it with a grey coat which is over on Insta stories, which I rather foolishly didn't take a photograph of. And I swapped out the boots for white trainers.

This is the coat that I'm wearing - it's the one I had on yesterday (and the one on Stories) and is SUPERB. Absolutely superb.

Wool Blend Textured Coat from Limited Collection £69 The 10 is a perfect 10 I would say. What you also can't see is that it has a dark red lining under the collar and around the button holes. I have had so many messages about this coat - it really does look a LOT more expensive than the sub £70 price tag.

Then it was another change. Swapping out the blazer for a red coat. Which threw me as I really hadn't expected to completely fall in love with it. I also REALLY wish I had bought this jumper but will definitely be picking it up today. I hadn't realised it was only £25. Again the price belies the quality and styling. More images of me in it with just the trousers over on Insta stories - clearly I got rather confused and again neglected to pap without the coat. But you can see the jumper in all its glory over on Insta.

Colour Block Funnel Neck Jumper £25 I sized up to the Large as I wanted it on the larger side and have gorilla arms. You should also check out the blue and white version. A.Mazing.

Longline Coat £89 Again I'm wearing the 10 which is perfect. What you can't see is that the texture isn't a classic wool style coat, it almost has a felty (clearly a word I've just made up), boiled wool feel. Which gives it a really modern and more luxe edge.

Lace up Star Trainers £29.50

Ruffle Neck Round Neck Blouse £29.50 This is again in a 10 and a note here is that the fabric has a lovely soft, almost linen feel to it, as opposed to being a silky blouse which I would personally have expected.

And this time - a pair of lower, red suede boots.

Wide Fit Suede Kitten Ankle Boots £69 - for me, even with narrow feet, the wide fit is fine, just size down (I go from my usual 40 and take an M&S 6).

A skirt with a hint of red to it. Perfect for trying in with all your red pieces. With the red leather heeled boots. And I can't find the skirt online. SO sorry - as soon as it does come onto the website, I will add it. I will also say it comes up true to size - this is a 12 and is too big on the waist (something I never usually get to say) so take your normal size.

And just a couple of other options which I found, in case you want an alternative to the tops above.

Autograph Lace Round Neck 3/4 Sleeve Shell Top £49

Wool Rich Funnel Neck £25

Then some extra pictures of how you can mix and match some of the red gems into your own wardrobe. This is the outfit I had on yesterday - so red tee, leather leggings and white trainers.

Using the jacket on its own with my outfit. Definitely a versatile one to have in the wardrobe.

Sneaking in with the red leather boots.

But what did I buy in the end?

I did get the whole suit as I think it will be super useful to wear as a suit and as separates. However I couldn't leave the coat, and this pink jumper will be so so useful - they both came home with me too. I'm also going back for the colourblock jumper (it's navy by the way - not black).

Red coat - M&S above
Hot Pink Jumper - M&S above
Red Trousers - M&S above
Trainers - My Fashion Tribu
Red Soho Disco bag - Gucci

What I will also do is have a look at some pink things that we can wear alongside all our red. And I haven't forgotten green.. or navy shoes. Any other colour I should be looking at? I'm frantically packing for leaving on Friday - yes I will be doing some blogs that are holiday related but still useful for every day back here. In the dark. And rain. Ergo we will need some cheering up - especially as it's half term and some of you crazy fools are doing that no drinking in October thing. ALL THE RESPECT!

Would love to know your thoughts on red. Love it or hate it? Wear it as a nod to colour or are you head to toe Mrs Santa? Have I managed to convert anyone?! Would also love to know what you think of the matching Insta stories to the blog.

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