No Prints Allowed

Apologies for the rather dark pics I improved on my video quality but I'm still on my iPhone 6, which isn't great in low light. It is winter, after all.

Anyway, this week's challenge was to still abstain from print separates, so no trusty Boden pencil skirts or Zara tops. Instead it's all about block colours - ok, including black, so uni coloured separates.

New week, new challenge. Last week was all about the print dress, so I thought I'd try a week without (!) any prints at all. Yikes! 

Top: Primark 

Skirt and boots: Zara

I'm continuing my "separates without print" challenge by adding texture again: crushed velvet in the skirt and a shiny mock-croc belt. Probably slightly over-coordinated for me with matching(ish) bag, shoes and belt! (The belt is probably over a decade old and from Jesire.)

Top: Karen Millen

Skirt: Zara

Jacket: Warehouse

Belt: Jesire

Boots: Office

Bag: VVA

Separates without print - the challenge continues! Textures help massively though and pairing pleather with this woven fabric gives a bit of interest. :)

Top: Mango

Skirt: Warehouse

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Accessorize

Another day of "no print separates". The fact that I was running late meant no time to find a necklace. I actually liked this outfit but it does look awfully plain and dark here...

Jumper and boots: Zara

Skirt: Mango

Yesterday's casual Friday outfit. Still no print separates but I added some texture again, this time with this Zara jacket.

Top: Warehouse

Jeans: Paige

Jacket: Zara

Boots: Hallhuber

Old Skirt, New Outfit

Part 2 of my catchup. And another item that has been hanging in my wardrobe, pretty much unloved and close to being popped into the charity bag: this black pleather skirt has received a new lease of life by being teamed with this monochrome top and (another 'old' find) necklace duo.

Old stuff - new combo. I almost got rid of the skirt and the necklaces must be about 18 years old! Just goes to show that I shouldn't get rid of anything. Maybe I'll KonMari in my next life. *sigh* 

Top & skirt: Zara 

Necklaces: (I think) Accessorize

Boots: Office

Beetlejuice pants! I think so far I had only worn them with sweatshirts, so this feels reasonably 'dressed up'.

Shirt: La Redoute

Jeans & necklace: Zara

Jacket: Warehouse

Trainers: Converse

Bit of a leftover from a few days ago but I didn't feel very well the last couple of days and pretty much just hid under my duvet...

Dress: Boden

Cardigan: H&M

Boots: Hallhuber

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Still felt under the weather yesterday - can you tell? I felt like a right numpty with my jeans that are a tad too short. At least you can't see my pink socks in the pic. Just to show that I have off days too!

Jumper: Topshop

Jeans: Next

Trainers: Boden

Confidence Booster Outfit

Do you have any go-to outfits for when you need to feel confident? My favourite outfit last the week was definitely my black stripy dress with that Zara jacket. The whole combo felt so easy to wear, fuss free and cool and looks like I hadn't tried to hard. Perfect for when you have to present!

In other news: It was only a matter of time until I would wear the same print twice in a week. I hadn't even realised until I posted my second pic on Instagram! Sigh.

"Mama, stand in a silly way!" Ok... I know I wore this recently but I had to speak in front of about 100 people yesterday and even though it was just for about 5 minutes, I was pretty nervous about it. I'm neither a practiced nor confident speaker, so my outfit had to be comfy, look cool but not like I tried too hard and have nothing too silly on it that could be remembered for the wrong reasons... 

Dress: Next 

Jacket: Zara 

Boots: Office

Necklace: Accessorize

"Mama, I want to be in the picture!" (Can I just say: this is is his "I just get in my sweats after taking off my school uniform" outfit. He doesn't dress like that for the whole day!) 

Mama's Shirt: Laredoute

Skirt: Boden 

Trainers: Converse 

Little M's outfit: Mango, Next, Matalan 

How to achieve such a spectacularly underwhelming picture: 

1. Drop food at taste session on floor in the massive atrium in front of EVERYONE in the building. 

2. Realise 2 hours later that half of the tomato sauce ended up on your dress and now doesn't budge. 

3. Think that for your ootd pic you can disguise the stain by showing off the bag you just switched into. 

4. Be ridiculously ungraceful posing with said bag and make dress appear to be only half of an outfit. (I can hear Julie say: "did you forget your pants?") 

5. Think "it's either that or nothing because I really can't be arsed trying for half an hour until I get a decent shot. 

 That (amongst other reasons) is why I'm not a professional blogger. 

Dress: Boden 

Trainers: Converse 

Bag: Mulberry

Do you have any items in your wardrobe that have the same print as others?

Outfit Full Of Texture

So last week was little M's first day at school. That meant working from home on some days (which basically means slobbing it in jeans and sweatshirt) and thus not really enough content for a very satisfying outfit roundup. BUT, I happened to wear an outfit, which had so much going on, I thought I'd just do what lots of bloggers do and show you that one in detail!

So, without much further ado...

There are so many favourites in this outfit: The dress (new, from next), the boots, the jacket, the necklace - oh, and the bag - the bag!  

Dress: Next (current) 

Jacket: Zara 

Boots: Office 

Necklace: Accessorize 

Bag: VVA

Fancy a closeup of the details?

 This Zara jacket has a lovely vintage feel to it and is embroidered and embellished all over.

 I've had this Accessories necklace for years. It's so delicate, I always fret over breaking it. Fingers crossed - so far it's been fine!

The bag comes to the office with me frequently - it handily even holds my laptop!

Totally unintentionally I matched my boots to the bag - I normally never match footwear and handbag - do you?

Dressing with Opposites

It feels like the last days of a summer that has barely been. With the sky grey and drizzly at times, I am sticking to boots or Converse. Incidentally: I think they work rather well with pencil skirts that would otherwise sometimes look a bit twee and plain. What do you think?

Back to outfits after the long weekend... did you have a good one? I think I've worn this skirt through all seasons now and it remains a firm favourite. Are you sick of seeing it yet? 

T-shirt: Warehouse 

Skirt & cardigan: Boden 

Trainers: Converse

Channeling something akin to Maid Marian: green, floaty... buckles...?

Dress: Mango

Boots: Marks and Spencer

Necklace: Accessorize

For some reason I completely forgot what I usually wear with this skirt right after I put it on. Usually I check back at my instagram but I don't have time so I spotted something grey and something pink for the top an threw it on...

Top: Topshop

Cardigan: Mango

Skirt: Boden

Trainers: Converse

A bit too casual for a non-Friday but I sprained my ankle and needed something to hide the bandage. These jeans were a steal at the Harvey Nicks sale - though I'm not sure if ever pay the RRP for them...

Top: Boden

Jacket: Zara

Jeans: Paige

Trainers: Converse

Bye Bye June

Hello summer?
My blog seems to be turning into some running commentary on the weather but I guess that will tell you two things about me:

1. Clothes have to be functional: I have to feel comfortable, not too hot or too cold. 
My footwear has to work with the weather, i.e. no silly little shoes in the rain.

2. Despite the above, I like to have a bit of fun with my outfits.

It's just sometimes 1. makes 2. quite hard. And sometimes I feel like I'm flicking back and forth between warm and cold day outfits.

A bit of foliage for a change! (You know I do florals all the time, right?) Absolutely love the colour of this skirt, though the length is still tricky for me to negotiate. The top is a cropped blouse and just about long enough on the front to kind of tuck it in. 
Layering due to the rather autumnal temperatures. 

Top: Zara 

Skirt: Warehouse 

Trainers: Kurt Geiger

This dress is quickly turning into a favourite for those days that are too cold for a "proper" summer outfit... 

Dress: Zara 

Boots: Marks and Spencer 

Necklace: Accessorize - I think...

It's almost July and I'm back in opaques. Sigh. But these florals always cheer me up! Dress: Boden 

Boots: Zara

This outfit does so *not* look summery - but I did throw some token florals in! The top is actually cropped but a tad too long to leave it untucked. I think I'll have it shorted by a couple of cms, so it's naturally going to sit where it is in this outfit... 

Top: Warehouse 

Skirt: Reiss 

Boots: Zara 

Necklace: Marni for H&M

Transitional Spring Dresses

Last week felt rather autumnal and I quickly moved from sheer tights into opaques. Less separates than usual with 3 dresses in there and a bit of a mixed bag. My favourite is definitely that green Mango dress - though my clumsiness does not always work with the fluted sleeves...

Channeling my inner Robin Hood - or would that be Maid Marian...? (The colour of this dress is such a gorgeous green, unfortunately it's completely washed out on the detail pic.) Dress: Mango 

Boots: Marks and Spencer 

Necklace: Olia Jewellery

It doesn't feel like June, does it? Rainy and windy and chilly. A sweater dress for a bit of warmth and comfort. In June. *sigh* 

Dress: Next 

Boots: Marks and Spencer 

Necklace: I think it's from Accessorize

Just a hint of red ;) I've had this Boden dress for years and the silk fabric has a few creases that simply won't come out but I love the pattern and thought it's time it got an outing! Dress: Boden 

Boots: Zara 

Necklace: Sainsbury's

Where's the summer?! Ok, I'd settle for spring. But this windy and rainy weather has more of October than June?! Back in my opaques for a bit of warmth, I'm attempting to cheer this outfit from autumn into spring... 

Top: Hallhuber 

Cardigan and skirt: Boden 

Boots: Zara 

Necklace: Aarikka

Late May in Boden

Whilst uploading last week's pictures I just realised that it was a very Boden week: a Boden piece for every day. Completely unintentionally but it just goes to show that they are often my go to outfits when I don't now what to wear.

More colour! I normally don't do red at all and pink usually in a pastel shade but this dress makes them both work for me. Added bonus: the cleverly placed coloured panels define me almost non-existing waist! 

Dress: Boden 

Necklace: Accessorize

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Sunny days always make me want to wear colour, especially pretty pastel ones. :) 

T-shirt: Warehouse 

Cardigan & skirt: Boden 

Shoes: Zara

Necklace: Freedom at Topshop 

Don't think the picture does this dress any justice but here we go... Haven't worn this dress in a about a year - maybe a bit sparkly for the office but who cares?! 

Dress: Boden 

Trainers: Converse

I didn't feel like posting any outfits last week, think I have a couple still somewhere on my phone, so I will catch up with them first. I reverted to something tried and tested when it got warm: mixing stripes with this Boden pattern. 

Top: Sainsbury's 

Skirt: Boden 

Trainers: Converse 

Necklace: Marni for H&M

Come on Spring!

Spring is definitely in the air - and I feel like wearing colour! It also means my black boots will slowly get relegated and I can dig out other footwear. And then I will have to remember or figure out Spring/Summer outfits. Can't wait for it to be Spring every year - and then it still comes as a surprise!

I love this skirt (yes, it's new and current and available here) and paired with the belt it's the perfect "I have a waist!" cheat!

Top: Karen Millen

Skirt: Rumour London at Wolf & Badger

Boots: Office

Belt: Reiss

Necklace: Aarikka

How lovely is this necklace?!

Worth adding: As I usually commute into work via train and (living in Manchester) a exposed to a fair bit of rain/wind/cold weather, I don't tend to coordinate my coat with the rest of my outfit. I usually wear whatever the weather demands, something functional, with a hood and warm lining at this time of year.

As I was driving in that day, I indulged and wore a jacket that has been hanging in my wardrobe for years and big scarf.

Some groundbreaking florals for spring. And a bit of a story: I believe it was in SS14 when Boden brought out their best prints in years. Beautiful florals. I ordered way too many items because I couldn't decide - and was then pretty ruthless when they arrived, only keeping a couple. This skirt went back. I've been hankering after it for a while and just managed to find it on eBay (of course). Happy me. Have you ever done that?

Shirt: Laredoute

Skirt: Boden

Trainers: Converse

Had completely forgotten little M was supposed to wear something green today. #mumfail Not sure my own green dress from yesterday makes up for it? And yes: I'm wearing the necklace wonky and only just realised this when assembling the pics. *sigh*

Dress: Mango

Boots: Marks and Spencer

Necklace: Accessorize

It's getting milder, the sun is peeping out every now and again - spring is definitely around the corner. (Oh, and did I mention hayfever?) Time for a bit more colour. It's not even a conscious decision, it just kind of happens. Do you find that you're automatically picking more colourful clothes when winter starts to go? 

Top & skirt: Warehouse 

Trainers: Kurt Geiger 

Necklace: Stella & Dot

The Favourites And The Forgotten

In the spirit of wearing something that I haven't worn for ages, or just letting it go, I dug out that Karen Millen top - and I'm quite glad I did. Definitely a keeper. The rest are pretty much favourites, though I have to say, I don't think I'll wear that Boden sweatshirt with a mini skirt again...

The neckline of this dress always makes me think if Hitchcock vixens. I might not be quite Grace Kelly but we do have a connection of sorts: 

her grandmother was born in my hometown Heppenheim.

Dress: Boden

Boots: Zara

I'm hoping Spring is on its way, so I'm wearing my warm and fluffy jumper whilst it's still cold enough! 

Jumper: LaRedoute

Skirt: Warehouse

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Accessorize

This top must be around 8 years old, I think I bought it a year it so after Balmain's power shoulder graced the catwalks and fashion mags - do you remember? And did you ever do the power shoulder? (I kinda did in the early 90s but was a bit young to really know what I was doing...)

Top: Karen Millen

Skirt: Topshop

  You still here? I know, I'm being very quiet. Haven't completely forgotten you though. Xx 

I love how this dress gives me a waist where there isn't much of one...

Dress: Reiss

You know I don't have much of a waist. You know it makes me happy when I find an outfit that magics me one. So why am I trying to hide it here? *eyeroll*

Sweatshirt: Boden

Skirt: Topshop

Monochrome Week

Last week was my first week back in work after Christmas and then being off sick for a couple of weeks. After those two weeks in pyjamas, getting dressed in an office-appropriate outfit seemed like a real challenge. I defaulted to monochrome - maybe we'll throw in some more cheerful shades next week!

I adore this top and the fairly high-waisted skirt makes me think I can get away with wearing a crop.

Top: Mango

Skirt: Warehouse

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Accessorize

This dress is sleeveless but I never really wear anything sleeveless in the winter. Works really well with a black jersey top underneath though - 

and a cardigan on top because, you know, winter...

Dress: Oliver Bonas 

Cardigan: Boden 

Necklace: Stella & Dot

The necklace is probably a bit summery for this dress but I fancied something a bit pastel...

Dress: Jesire

Necklace: Stella & Dot

This dress has a distinct retro feel and I love the shape of the sleeves - though it's kind of hard to see on the picture...

Dress: Zara

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Skirt Combos

After last week's bumper post with five outfits, only a couple of them for this week - but I do rather like these two: one that's a bit of a throw-the-rulebook-out-the-window and one that's new. :)

I still totally love the colour of this skirt. 

I still find the length challenging. (Well, it's not like I've suddenly grown a couple of inches.) 

But I also think "screw it, stop trying the pretty and just go for clash" - and I had lots of ppl comment on the trainers! 

Top & skirt: Warehouse

Trainers: Kurt Geiger 

Absolutely love this new top from Mango; it has such an effortless and even slightly ethereal quality to it. 

(At least until I dangle the sleeves in my food. *sigh*) 

Top: Mango 

Skirt: Warehouse 

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Accessorize