Coral bird print dress

Today I was allowed out for good behaviour - a visit to Ikea followed by a mooch around John Lewis. Husband was in attendance (he was needed for the Ikea part as general labourer/carrier etc) - but was something of a hindrance on the John Lewis leg of the outing it must be said!

First day back to school today so this outfit also doubled as a school run starter for 10 - must remember to email it to Avril for the SchoolGateStyle blog school run competition.

My bird print Tesco dress from Wick has its first outing today. I toyed with taking my orange Longchamp bag but in the end took the Orla Kiely again. (On reflection - and viewing of the photos - the orange Longchamp looks better though I think. The O/K is too much of a print clash... You live and learn!)

I paired the dress, as planned, with a black cropped Brora cashmere cardigan, black opaques, and black suede wedge KG shoes.

If anyone is interested, I have a feeling that the dress is still around in Tesco and is now marked down - it was on a rail the other day which had that look about it. I didn't investigate too closely as it would ruin things for me to see it going for a song!

Ooh, ooh - by the way - the M&S snake print scarf in neutral / blush, khaki - I picked it up today in M&S for £5  - and I would have been happy to pay full price (£19.50) for it. I thought it was full price - the label didn't indicate any reduction - what a fantastic bargain. Love it when you get to the till and that happens :-)

Autumn - happy days!

A wee dress from Wick

I'm back in 'civilisation' and I'm not sure I like it :-/

After a blissful week of being on the north coast of Scotland about 50 miles from anything or anyone, and where a Spar and a Post Office felt like a metropolis,  it's a tad depressing to come home to car alarms and foul mouthed youths... You see, this is why it's ironic that one such as me should attempt a fashion blog. Really I could survive very happily far from anywhere in a tattered shirt and jeans - maybe one day I'll make it a reality, but in the meantime there is a living to be had and schooling to be done...and I grant you shops to be shopped. There have to be some compensations to living in a man made jungle. (And I don't even live in a particularly busy town. I could never be a city girl, that's for sure.)

Anyhow, apart from enjoying the majestic isolation and the beauty of the mountains and the sea, I did manage one small concession to my homebound hobby.  A journey through Wick revealed a surprisingly large Tesco, with a clothing department. The purpose of the visit to said Tesco was NOT to buy clothes, but somehow... as you do....I bought a cute coral pink bird print dress.

Tesco Florence and Fred Bird Print 'flutter hem' dress - £16

Completely unwearable for the holiday but sweet and I think I'll wear it into autumn layered over a T- shirt and with my cropped Brora cashmere cardigan. And in case anyone's wondering, Brora (the place) bears no relation to Brora the cashmere company - there is no trace of a factory shop or the like!

However, I like the idea of wearing the namesake cardigan with it's north-coast neighbour dress from Wick... it will cheer me up until my next visit to the far north!

And no doubt it's also available in Wigan, Warrington and Wolverhampton Tesco...  but to me it will always be my wee bird print dress from Wick :-)

A tea dress and Mulberry

Today it's back to the (for me) tried and tested outfit of a tea dress. A Brora 40s style tea dress, in fact. This was a sale bargain from last year.

Much as I love my new Primark style finds, I do love my dresses.  "You have to wear what suits you Ash..." as my dear old Mum would say ;-)

I recommend waiting until the bitter end in the Brora sale, as the prices are initially £££ but come down to more sensible levels in the clearance section.

Brora tea dress

Together with my gorgeous Mulberry Mitzy Hobo - close up below.

I am lucky to live near a Mulberry outlet store, and have picked up some amazing bargains over the years... (that makes me sound so old - wait, I am!)  I will be blogging about more of these in the days ahead.

The outlets often have styles which have been discontinued, as I think is the case with the Mitzy hobo - so definitely worth a call - Google Bicester, York, Chester, Shepton Mallet Mulberry outlet - they are usually happy to post if they have something you'd like and it's too far to visit.

Mulberry Mitzy Hobo in Oak pebbled leather

And having extolled the virtues of Brora and Mulberry, where do you think I am off to today? 

........Primark - that's where!  I think I will return the leopard print skinny jeans as I had a 'tag removal session' last night - the point at which (in my zany world) the new items officially transfer themselves into my possession... and something stopped me removing the tags on the leopard print. My inner 'style-o-meter' telling me they were not quite 'me' I suspect.   Ho-hum.  I could change my mind once I get there, but they're coming with me just in case!  

I may well get the Pleather studded tote from my post the other day instead. Will report back!

Hope everyone has a nice day, the weather has cheered up nicely here.