The Breton Favourite

Who doesn't love a good breton?  Well not me, I seem to naturally gravitate towards them and wear them on a weekly basis - they are perfect for school runs.  They add a touch of easy elegance, I don't feel scruffy, they are a no brainer when rushing to get the kids out the door and Coco Chanel wore them so enough said on that!  I featured my latest one from Cos the other month in this post.  I loved it so much that when I went to Dublin to visit my sister I grabbed the grey version.

Appearance from Lizzie cat again - that black thing wrapped in my baby blanket!
Top; Cos
Jeans; Zara
Shoes; Spanish Supermarket

They work out slightly cheaper wen buying in Euro's - approimately £13 which makes them an absolute bargain.  They have both washed so well and are easy to run an iron over, not a fussy top to do.  I really couldn't recommend them enough.

The navy version £17

The red version - perhaps next time!

The Cos Round-Up

I've just come back from a lovely few days visiting my sister in Dublin with my eldest daughter.  My sister is my true partner in crime when it comes to shopping, we could both spend hours upon hours roaming and purchasing but as we had a 7 year old with us, it was rained in.  I did pas a Cos though and as requested by Sue, he's a little round up from their latest offerings.

The midi is here to stay

Fabulous floral skirt

I've been a little late to the table in Cos appreciation but one thing that has stood out for me is their materials.  I have some great silk and cotton tops that have washed so well.  I also like the simplicity of a lot of their pieces.

Silk top £45

Silk t-shirts in a variety of colours £39

Boxy top £35

Leather shopper £135

Leather cross body bag £115

100% wool coat £150

90% wool & cashmere/polyamide balance £150

I didn't purchase as I was being pulled out of the shop to get on a Viking Tour Bus (it was worth it though, I fully recommend it if you are visiting Dublin) but I plan on spending more time in their when I get some child free shopping hours.

Outfit Round-Up

This year is the year I moved on from my skinny jeans!  I am not totally without them of course, but the two pairs I bought from Gap that are their straight leg cut have had so much wear already. These were my bargain £12 ones teamed with a very old H&M t-shirt and Next animal sandals. Just a school run/about town look!

And then the skinnies came out for a girls night out!  These are also Gap, their wet look jeans.  I love the fit however the coating hasn't lasted as long as I had hoped.  Teamed with a blush pink lace Warehouse top and some very high heels (luckily we sat and caught up over cocktails and didn't have a dance!).

Clutch; sample from somewhere!
Shoes; Gucci
Ring; Dorothy Perkins
Earrings; Topshop
Bracelet; Valentino

Another day look - before the weather heated up of course.  Ralph Lauren ankle skimming jeans with a Cos top.  I've rolled the sleeves up a little as they finished just around my elbow and felt a little long.  I love the bright yellow hem, it really gives the top another dimension taking it from plain to having that little pop of colour.  

Im very pleased with my J.Crew purchases this year and this top has been no exception.  As I mentioned in my previous blog about it, I was a little dubious about the jewelled neckline but it has been in the machine, inside out on a hand wash cycle and no problems at all.  Gap jeans again and possibly my most worn shoes so far this year, my rose gold Primark sandals.  Don't get me wrong, they go with so much and are easy to throw on if I've not painted my toenails, but I know that won't be around next season as they have been well worn.  At £12, I didn't really expect them to last next season anyway.  

You get the idea - there's a theme to my casual looks - denim!  Flats were needed for the Robbie Williams concert and a cardi for when it got cooler.  I dug out this old Topshop cardi (and I'm talking 8+ years here) that has little peach flowers on it.  Somehow, it has stood the test of time and worked perfectly with my shoes and handbag.  The top is sleeveless, needed for the heat inside the O2.

Top; Zara
Cardi; Topshop
Watch; Tag
Bag; Italian - no idea, sorry!
Jeans; Gap
Shoes; Primark

It's been years since I saw Robbie solo (naturally I saw him when he reunited with Take That - HUGE fan!) and for some reason I didn't have any expectations, but he was amazing.  A true entertainer and the style of songs worked perfectly for him (his Swing Both Ways tour).  His Dad even came on to perform with him!  

Because.....it really is so true!

Bag; Prada
Pumps; French Sole
Jeans; Gap
Pouch; Lulu Guinness
T-shirt; Juicy Couture

Thought For The Day

I am a trousers girl, I make no secret of that but I am trying to push myself for fear that some time soon I won't like my knees (age gets to us all right) then I will regret not getting my pins out more in my thirties.  I was playing around with my H&M skirt again the other night as it still hasn't had an outing.  It really did show up how much differently we see ourselves in our mind to the actual image in front of us in the mirror.  I kept wondering if this skirt was too short and it has a lot more volume than I'm used too but I just loved that about it initially as well as the pockets.  I'm still not  100% convinced but in the photo it really didn't look as bad as I thought.  So I guess my thought for today is, take a photo!  Yes we hate doing it but by doing this for my blog it has really highlighted the difference it can make in how we view clothing on our body.  I'm planning on wearing it this week-end so I'm hoping once I've broken it in, I will get over the length!

Silk & cotton t-shirt; Cos
Necklace; Topshop
Skirt; H&M
Shoes; Gucci
Black cat; Elizabeth aka Lizzie!

The Day Dress Research Post

Where has the decent weather gone?  In a bid to bring it back and cheer myself up, I've been on the hunt for some easy day dresses (personally for the school run, the jeans need a break!).  Without knowing it, I had picked mostly dresses with blues in so in a bid to add some colour, I found a few others to share!

Starting with my favourite print - the breton stripe, like most, it features a lot in my wardrobe but there's not much to hate about it.  I love the relaxed casual style of the below.

Mint Velvet £69

Some colour and florals with this number.  It looks short but then the model is probably leggy!  Wrap dresses are great for meal dates - forgiving if you over eat!

Therapy at House of Fraser £45

I'm a big fan of shirts at the moment so this dress ticks the boxes for me.  I am not as successful with Gap dresses unfortunately as they are always too long on me but don't let that stop you giving it a go.

Gap £39.95

Really simple dress, love it and the navy as well.  You can easily dress this up if needs be and or change the belt but I particularly like it just the way it is.

& other Stories £45

Gorgeous print and colour palette below, another forgiving shape as well.  It looks very comfortable.

COS £59

Just because it's my blog and I can - another breton! I may have to order this, what a bargain price from Zara.

Zara £19.99

I really want to add a necklace to this, even just a little chain but I love the white with the dark navy. The sleeve length is great as it smartens it up slightly.  Be interested to see this in the flesh as feel it's another fair price point.

Topshop £25

Anyone else bought some easy to wear day dresses recently?  Or are you throwing your jeans on most days for the school runs like me at the moment?!

Business Attire - Where Do You Shop?

So I have a short term contract to help out an amazing store which has led me back to formal business clothing.  Having enough to get me through this week only, when possible I've been hunting down some new options.  I don't want to invest tons into this section of my wardrobe, as its not needed.  I am looking for a skirt, nothing to structured, a blazer and a few dresses, all items that can be worn again and dressed down when they aren't needed for business.  So far I've been into Topshop, Cos, Gap, H&M and Zara.  And I came out with nothing.  I feel my shopping ban has left me with no desire to shop (or so my husband is leading me to believe).  So in an effort to avoid that horrendous scene that we all have in the mornings where clothes fly everywhere, I've adopted the internet to save me.  With no crowds, time restrictions, trains to run for, children to run after, I think this is just going to have to work for me at the moment.  So here is what I've found but I'm yet to hit the order button!

Skirt - American Vintage £49.99 at Atterley Road (NB this would come up longer on me being short, have measured it!)

£35.99 Zara - now thinking a little too dressy

£25.99 Zara - my favourite so far in style, cut, price & ease of wear

£35.99 Zara - second favourite

£45.99 Zara - now thinking a little too dressy also

£17.99 Gap - I have these in the black and the fit is amazing

£27.99 Gap - the only reason I'm holding off is I missed out on an extra 20% off sale items the other day, so now feel like I'm being cheated if I pay this price (even though they are still reduced).  I want a comfy solid shoe to walk about in, rather than an un-structered ballet pump.  Not the most glamorous I know but needs must and I will have heels in my bag!

I nearly placed 8 dresses into my basket with Zara, with free delivery and returns it is very easy to do.   then thought some more into this.  Tights have to be worn for this contract but in my every day life, I prefer to go bare legged so that needs to be taken into consideration.  Now on to another long standing debate I regularly have with my husband.  I set myself a budget of £100 to try and kit myself out with a few pieces.  Should none of this fit and I not find anything, do I just buy what I like?  Had I done this previously, I may not be clutching at straws now in a blind panic that I have very little formal attire.  The coat below I fell in love with a while ago, I saw it on someone today, amazing.  I also love the yellow blazer.  It works great with denim and if it's not any brighter in the flesh, could look as good  with black trousers.  I just feel that the prices are so much to spend on one garment for myself (yet I so would advise others to!).  Do I just bite the bullet and order the lot in a vain hope or do I waste more time thinking?  I believe I have my answer!

£99.99 Zara

£69.99 Zara

London Baby!

 Evening all!  A picture based post tonight, it's going to be visual for you!  I spent yesterday in London meeting with some lovely fashion Mummy bloggers.  It was so nice to catch up and relax all day with no time restraints.  A few of us (yes, me included!) branched off for only a couple of hours to hit the shops.  As I do get into London more than some I felt it only right to take up the 'tour guide' role to navigate them to the shops they needed then back to the bar!  It's late and I've set myself a new challenge to shut down and switch off by 9.30pm so excuse the slackness but I will address the ladies by name but tag in their equally fabulous blogs.

Sue & Beth

Helen, Joanna, Kat & Fiona

Sue 'papping' Marlene & Avril

Close up of Avril's fab Accessorize necklace, love it worn over her denim shirt

Sue 'papping' Moi!

'The Hat' (and the coat) are Marlene's but wanted by all!

Uniqlo's very 'Cath Kidston' Tee's (but by Greengate instead)

Their great selection of scarves

Even more impressive was their cardi range - how many colours?! 100% cotton £19.90

Their Orla Kiely scarves were £9.90 - an amazing price

I loved Cos's colour palette, soft pinks and greens

Cos's leather was fab and magnetic closures are always a favourite of mine

And me! I did wear a coat, Marlene might have that picture!
Topshop Baxter Jeans
Topshop Boots
H&M Tee
Gap cardi (£14.99 in the sale - bargain!)
New Look necklace
Balenciaga Handbag

Every time I see myself in a picture at the moment, it makes me want to cut my fringe back in.  So what's stopping me - the maintenance!  But the sound of me harking on about it for so long in my head is equally as annoying so this week I may just nip in to the hairdressers.......

Wish list item this week - Benefit's Fine One One highlighter.  I love the mix of colours and that you can use it on your cheeks and lips is a double bonus.  I am currently using a max powder blush but I do find that cream blushers give more of a glow.  So next time I'm near a Debenhams, my voucher is going on this little 2 in 1 gem.  £23.50.

Must dash, 9.43pm already......ho hum, tomorrow's a new day to achieve my goal!  Night all x