Back to 'normality'

No knives today, I'm pleased to report. A mundane, but necessary day, spent ferrying elderly parents to / from hospital appointments and breaking up arguments between same. Sheesh - toddlers have nothing on 80 year olds for squabbling!

I wore:

• Jigsaw grey a-line shape lambswool jumper
• Primark white vest
• White Company silver pendant
• Boden denim mini skirt (not so mini on me as I am a 'short arse' with even shorter legs)
• Russell & Bromley 'Chester' black patent loafers

Sorry for brevity of post. Need to repaint my nails - which have become distressingly slattern-like - before I fall into an imminent exhausted stupor.

See you tomorrow hopefully :-)

Food not fashion

I had an unusual delivery today. There were no clothes involved :-0

A large, well padded brown box arrived from Fortnum and Mason. No - I don't do my weekly shop there(!) - but I've been using some tea which was a gift, and tasted rather special. I had a nosey on their website and was pleased to find that you can buy tea / coffee / groceries online (and by that I mean single items, rather than having to splash out £100+ on a hamper pre-filled with some occasionally rather wacky delicacies).

Amongst the goodies delivered to me today were:

Breakfast Blend Coffee (no-one speaks to me in the morning before I've had several mugs of strong fresh black coffee)... This tin looks so pretty and can be re-used:

I'm not a big tea drinker but when I do, I enjoy a cup of Earl Grey. (This was the gift tea which I've been enjoying!)  This time however, I bought a box of teabags for easy make-ability. They are all individually wrapped so would be great to use at work / when travelling etc:

I also got Piccadilly blend teabags - one of which I am enjoying right now - it's a good one to try if you drink tea black and like a delicate tea - it still tastes tea like but without that slightly stewy/bitter aftertaste you can get with normal black tea. 

I'm a sucker for a leisurely breakfast. That sounds like I spend every morning reclining with a paper, a croissant and my coffee - haha - if only!  It happens maybe 3 times a year - but when it does I need good marmalade. Enter marmalade with Bergamot extract....

And finally, as if I needed another bag - but you can probably never have too many 'bags for life' (I usually never take enough on the weekly shop) - and this F&M jute shopper is rather smart:

What I didn't buy - but which is definitely on my wish list - is this Illuminum White Gardenia Petals perfume - ah well; it lives to be bought another day....!

I love a good non-clothes delivery almost as much as a clothing order (just complete shopping addict really, even for groceries!) I am chuffed that I can order these items for home delivery - it's such a  bonus for those of us living 'out in the sticks'. Before the days of online shopping it would have necessitated a trip into London with all the associated parking / travelling / grime / crowd related stresses (not to mention expense and confusion of the 'yokel in town' variety!!)

It's got a bit late to do an outfit pic I fear - bearing in mind my pics are dubious quality at best - but I wore Boden moleskin skirt, old bottle green Jigsaw top, black opaques and the F&F Tory-Burch-esque shoes.  I really am making a go of this FrOctober (or SkOctober) idea....!

Hang on to your old clothes!

I found an old dress from Monsoon yesterday. It's a wrap style, in a soft jersey fabric. It had been relegated to the back room in one of my earlier attempts to de-clutter my wardrobe. I had 'gone off' it for some reason at the time, but (luckily, as it transpired!) didn't see fit to get rid of it.

I often seem to have piles of clothes which fall into this indeterminate category. Neither 'goners' or 'keepers' - just in a vacuum waiting for their turn again.  (I think I must be a creature of extreme moods; what seems right one day week can seem total anathema the next!)

Anyway, I was looking for new ways to style my new cardigan, and also 'brighten up' and walked into the back room looking for something else, what exactly, I don't know, but I wasn't specifically looking for this dress. However, it fits the bill perfectly. The pink in the dress is a really good match for the cardigan, and the dress still looks good - although something seems to have happened to my bust line since I last wore it - a vest top underneath is now an absolute necessity!

It's a shame that Monsoon seems to have 'gone downhill' over the last - ooh - 3 (?) years. I rarely find anything I like there now. The quality is not what it used to be.

(The hem is level in real life... Awkward 'posing' stance to blame!)

A couple of skirts and a pair of trousers

Sorry for the unimaginative title, I'm so tired this evening, no muse!

A quick post to continue from yesterday and show a couple of skirts, plus a sneaky pair of trousers that were too big a bargain not to talk about.

Jigsaw grey knee length cord skirt, Boden cropped cardigan, Primark scarf, KG black suede wedges

Boden 'modern midi skirt', Boden cropped cardigan, Mulberry scarf, Primark suedette ankle boots

Primark trousers (£5!!!), Boden cardigan, Mulberry scarf

I am very pleased with the Boden Modern Midi skirt I must say. It's a nice medium weight moleskin fabric and has a contrast seam down the front which doesn't show in my photos. See Boden website here.  Code TKNS gives 15% off plus free P&P at the moment.

The cropped cashmere cardigan was a gift from my lovely Mum who thought I needed 'brightening up a bit'. Very astute my Mum...I was delighted to accept her advice here!  The cashmere seems to be very good quality, I don't know how it will wear, but it feels softer than a similar Brora cardigan I have which was about twice the price!

The Jigsaw knee length cord skirt is dark charcoal grey and is a nice flattering shape, quite fitted at the waist and room over the hips without being too a-line..Hurrah - have just seen it's still available, and with a nice range of extra colours to boot - see Jigsaw website here. (I may have to get another one!)

Finally the Primark trousers are an unbelievable bargain for £5. They're navy, nice fit at the top with a good wide-leg shape. Impressive.

One final word on skirts, or the wearing thereof. A pair of good opaques are essential. Personally, I love Wolford Velvet de Luxe 66, as they are wonderfully soft, nice thickness (but not too woolly), and most importantly have impressive lasting and snag resistance powers. They are pricey but a good investment.

I also bought a nice lacy pair in New Look the other day with the proceeds of a credit note. (Buyer beware:  New Look doesn't refund on sale goods unless faulty, not unreasonable I suppose, but it took me by surprise. We are so used to being able to return anything, anytime, anyhow nowadays.)

Here's the link to the New Look tights (£5.99) - they feel good and are cheaper - and with a better range of colours -  than a similar offering from White Stuff.

For more on tights, see my earlier post here. 

Boden

I caved in and bought a midi skirt (in black) and also, for good measure, a fuschia pink cropped cashmere cardigan.

I like both, although as I am buying my usual size, rather than the (probably) size up I need, they are a smidge on the small side. I refuse to buy a larger size though. In my experience, you (I)  will always expand to fill the space you have, be it wardrobe, house or clothing. I need no encouragement, so breathe in I must while I lose the surplus pounds - and lose them I will :-)

Worn with my black suedette Primark wedge ankle boots and the New Look boucle bag from yesterday.

One of those 'confused wardrobe' days

Today was spent mostly in a fug of confusion :-/

It all started with a scarf sort out. I have an addiction to scarves, and after perusing the Joules catalogue earlier, where given free reign, I would probably have spent at least £300 unnecesarily (not all on scarves) I realised that some planning and logic is required. <Watch this space for my next 'wardrobe edit' post - 'option 2 rationalising and starting from scratch'...>

I have realised, maybe since starting this blog, that I tend to buy things that appeal to me and that I 'like' - without much regard to how said item(s) will work with the rest of my wardrobe.

Trouble is, if I try the alternative approach, i.e. shopping on the basis of what will work with my wardrobe, quite a lot seems to be required to match up with and make sense of earlier, more random, purchases.

So basically, I'm stymied. For example, I have about 15 items in my online Boden basket (why is Boden so seductive? I shouldn't be relying on them to fill wardrobe holes!)  The blurb about basic / essential tops etc - sigh - it seems so sensible and so seductive. I do really need basic long sleeved tops. But I can't or can't be bothered to calculate which colour and neck options would best work.

Crew neck / scoop neck - berry or bay?  I got quite cross with everything in the end, and have decided to take a hermit approach  and just use what I have dammit, and not add to Johnnie's millions.  If a pressing needs presents itself, I may make an exception...

So, using this as a basis, today I wore:

Zara 'distressed' jeans (good fit with my state of mind)

Primark black vest

Boden old yellow cardigan

(Just seen... TU breton striped top... stripes are not v flattering at the moment; best hidden)

Zara butterfly scarf

Primark black ballerina pumps

I think I need a midi skirt.

A couple of weeks ago I made a vague mental effort to wear skirts more. Possibly this was due to having bought what felt like the entire sale stock of Zara's skinny jean collection in various colours!  I think I was worried I would wear nothing else so have avoided wearing them - how silly is that?!

Anyway, my mission to wear 'more skirts' has in fact translated to me wearing one skirt practically the whole week (the trusty Jigsaw mini). Clearly this situation needs to change.  I can't even claim to be doing any kind of capsule wardrobe challenge, as demonstrated on the fab smallfabricofmylife blog!

I think a midi skirt could be called for.  I like this one from Boden.

I wonder if anyone has seen it in real life?  It seems to be getting reasonable reviews. I would go for the black I think - yawn  - but it would have to work for work - and denim (blue denim, at any rate) is not allowed.

Boden 'modern midi' skirt

Right, I'm off to sort through my skinny collection and try to find inspiration for tomorrow's look!

A little more colour...

...is what I need.

I've been putting some thought into how to inject some more colour into my outfits, and remembered this cute Orla Kiely sling tote bag I bought a couple of years ago. I love the colourful classic stem print. The handle is long enough to be worn across the body too - so it's uber practical as well as a good looker.

I'm also wearing an old Boden blazer with white stitching and buttons, navy blue skinny jeans,  long grey vest, satin pumps (all Primark) and a Hobbs NW3 red bird print scarf.

I often take my cue for outfit inspiration from accessories rather than the other way around.

Start with a great bag or a scarf, I say, and make the rest fit!

A/W Essentials Part 1: Opaque Tights

I can't quite believe I am blogging about opaque tights in August, but there is a small part of me which actually looks forward to Autumn (winter, not so much: cool I can do, icy I hate!) I'm a country girl at heart, and I love the cool, crisp days, the ploughed fields, the (few but beautiful) blue skies, the last of the amber leaves clinging stubbornly to the old oaks, the sense of nature changing pace and the smell of woodsmoke lingering in the air on a misty afternoon / evening.

So it's always with relish that I start once more to think about cocooning myself to make the most of my favourite season.  Today my thoughts have turned to opaque tights, a key buy for me.  Oddly perhaps, in autumn I tend to wear skirts more, maybe because of the security and warmth of the opaque beauties, I can get my legs out more without feeling too mutton like. Opaque tights can, of course, also prolong the wear you can get from lighter weight 'summer' dresses and the like - layer up with thick tights and a warm knit and - 'ta-da' - many a garment is transformed into a transitional outfit :-)  This is where you can also have lots of fun with different coloured opaques - there is a fantastic range of colours available if black or grey are not your bag.

For me, tights are a 'splurge' rather than a 'save' item.  One good quality pair last me all season and beyond. Last year my best buy were the Cotton Touch tights by Falke - soft, matt, velvety and hard wearing - what more could a leg can ask for? I  also invested in a Falke hosiery wash bag to protect from snags in the wash.

Another favourite of mine are the 'Wolford Velvet de luxe 66' tights - I like anthracite (dark grey), a more subtle and versatile look than pure black.

I usually buy my tights from tightsplease.co.uk as they offer free UK delivery and fast service - but prices are in fact slightly lower on the John Lewis website - though John Lewis do charge for delivery unless you are spending over £50.  The 'mytights' website  also has a good selection of colours and thicknesses.

A worthy drawer-fellow this year might be the M&S Autograph tights with cashmere - which seem to have good reviews and are (compared to Wolford etc) a bargainous  £9.50.

I am also excited to see that Boden are selling tights this year - a two pack for £29 - charcoal spot and fig rib anyone...? (sounds like a variety of pig and/or flavour of crisp!)   Being the tights freak that I am  I will probably end up investigating at least one of these colour-ways, and will no doubt report back in due course...

Now, I wonder if someone will come along who can swear that Primark tights are the best out there...?

Who knows... last week I would have said that shoes were one of my 'splurge' not 'save' items - but here I am loving my £4 Primark pumps, so I am very open to trying other tights brands this year!