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?

Slow Start to Summer

Can you believe it's the summer solstice today?! This year just has been flying by! And besides that, it feels like summer is only just starting. 

Last week we had a couple of days, which I would actually describe as t-shirt weather! Let's see how long it lasts...

It felt like summer yesterday. Time for a proper summer outfit with some florals. And a zesty bag! I am also still trying to decide which one(s) is going to go, so am determined to test drive loads of them and make a decision! 

Top: & Other Stories 

Skirt: Boden 

Shoes: Zara 

Necklace: Topshop 

Bag: Mulberry

It was warmer than I expected it to be yesterday. This outfit always cheers me up because I love greens and blues together! :) 

T-shirt: Topshop 

Skirt: Boden 

Trainers: Converse 

Necklace: Stella & Dot

It still felt like jumper weather yesterday - and opaques. So I added a bit of colour! 

Jumper & boots: Zara 

Skirt: Rumour London at Wolf & Badger 

Necklace: Oliver Bonas

I was running so late yesterday morning, that I didn't even have time to add a necklace to this outfit (which is becoming a bit of a staple combo). 

I didn't want to cheat in the evening when I took the pic and just add one... 

Shirt: La Redoute 

Skirt and boots: Zara

Belt: Reiss

Two of The Same

My usual looking back at last week with one outfit that was a forgotten leftover thrown in - and then as I was pasting that one in I realised that I am now wearing the same skirt in different prints but with the same jacket in the last two pictures. Not 100% on the darkness of that last outfit but I can't wait to pair that navy print with something bright and summery!

When you buy the same dress as your colleague, who is a part time model - and there's no way you want to stand next to her wearing the same! How do you avoid that? You wait until she's on holiday. ;)

Dress: Zara

Boots: Marks and Spencer

Necklace: Accessorize

You've probably seen this outfit on me before, so I thought I'd show you the bag that I am currently using: my Mulberry Small Bayswater Buckle. 

Denim shirt: La Redoute 

Skirt & necklace: Zara 

Boots: Office 

Belt: Reiss 

Bag: Mulberry 

Team away day yesterday with a foodie walking tour or the Northern Quarter - so comfy footwear was mandatory. 

Seriously, we were even told in an email! ;) 

T-shirt: &Other Stories 

Jeans: Next 

Jacket: Zara 

Trainers: Converse

And here those two outfits with the same skirt - Boden's Richmond pencil skirt:

A leftover pic from before last week's holiday. I thought this would be the last of the opaque tights but 

I'm not convinced by the temperatures to give them up yet. 

Top: Karen Millen Skirt: Boden 

Jacket: Warehouse 

Boots: Zara

...and here is that skirt in a different outfit. Though I don't really like how dark all of this is. Feels too wintry... 

Top: Hallhuber 

Skirt: Boden 

Jacket: Warehouse 

Necklace: ??? 

Boots: ZARA

April Weather Outfits

We all love a cliche, right? Like April weather. Warm and "oh, Spring is here" one minute and cold, wet and windy the next. 

Which is why last week's outfits were a bit of a mixed bag.

Kind of an "in between" outfit: in between weather demands layers and as I can't do heels anymore but this skirt doesn't work with flats, 

so I found my "highest non-heels".

Shirt: La Redoute

Skirt: ZARA

Boots: Office

Belt: Reiss

Necklace: ZARA

It looked sunny but felt cold yesterday and I had no idea what to wear - so I scrolled back through my Instagram from last year and found a pic of this outfit. Perfect to have an outfit menu to chose from when you're brain is not engaging in the morning! 

(The pic above is from yesterday, by the way. Freshly taken!)

Jumper: Primark

Skirt: Miss Selfridge

Trainers: Converse

Necklace: Marni for H&M

I absolutely love the shade of green of this skirt - that's why I put up with the tricky length!

Top: Topshop

Skirt: Warehouse

Shoes: Carvela at Kurt Geiger

Necklace: Stella &Dot

Trumpet sleeves seem to be everywhere at the moment. I remember them from the 90s and loved them back then. Of course, I didn't have a job then or normal grown up life to contend with. Half the day yesterday was spent with holding them up and away out of water/spills etc in the work kitchen when making tea or flicking them away when typing. Do you have items of clothing that you love but that are totally unpractical for daily life? #ilikepractical 

Top: Next 

Skirt: Topshop 

Necklace: Accessorize

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

A Week for the New

Back into the swing of things! Not only am I wearing a new dress and combining it with something that had been hidden in my wardrobe for years, I am also donning a pair of heels! Don't get used to it though, as much as I like how it looks, my poor feet and back just can't take them anymore...

A very, very rare occurrence of me wearing heels. Well, I had to drive into work, so didn't mind carrying an extra pair of shoes. Had the skirt for years but not worn it yet as it just doesn't work that well with flats. And the belt was a last minute addition as the waistband of the skirt didn't sit quite right. A bit of an accidental outfit... :)
Shirt: La Redoute
Skirt: Zara
Shoes: Topshop
Belt: Reiss

I bought these leggings when those leather-look ones were all the rage and paired them with my new AllSaints dress. Too much?
Dress: AllSaints
Leggings: Topshop
Boots & necklace: Zara

I think I can totally get away with wearing this spring/summer skirt in winter because the pattern contains a dark colour and doesn't clash too much with black tights.
Jumper & skirt: Boden
Boots: Zara
Necklace: Oliver Bonas

This is fast becoming my semi-casual go-to outfit. I just love grey marl tights when it's cold (instantly make me feel warmer) and this tunic dress is so easy to wear. 
Dress: Boden 
Boots: Hallhuber 
Necklace: Topshop

The Inspired and the Mundane

Sometimes you have those days when you feel really inspired and fancy wearing something you haven't thrown together before. Like that jacket with the dress below - oh, and the necklace was new. And sometimes you need to have a fail safe have-worn-it-a-million-times-before combo. Like that black mini with the woolly jumper. The latter days happen more often but they make those other days even more enjoyable. 

(And can I just add that even on new-outfit-days getting dressed has to happen in 5 minutes top.)

Bit of a weird pose: makes me look like I have no waist... Anyway, I love the print on this dress and I'm debuting my new Stella & Dot necklace!

Dress: Topshop

Jacket: Warehouse

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Best pic out of a bad bunch. On the others it looked like I only had one arm. 

(I do like that jumper though, kept me snuggly warm in the drafty office yesterday.) 

Jumper: LaRedoute

Skirt: All Saints

Another mini skirt/warm jumper combo!

Jumper: Boden

Skirt: Topshop

Necklace: Oliver Bonas

Pattern Party

Another week with patterns... A newish favourite, an older one - and a first timer!

Oh, and little M, who is trying to distract me...

"Mama... Come on and play!" I usually take my pics at the end of the day when I get in, just before I get changed. 

I usually only have a minute or so to do them...

Dress: Boden

Jacket: Warehouse

Boots: Zara

This skirt must be the best "cost per wear" item in my wardrobe! And the shirt isn't doing too bad either... Yep, and the necklace.

Denim Shirt: LaRedoute

Skirt: Boden

Necklace: Marni for H&M

 

Just a few random posts last week but no ootd - yes, I was on holiday. Getting back into the groove now with this new dress. Think it works well with the jacket worn over but I wanted to show that it's sleeveless.

Dress: Oliver Bonas

Top worn underneath: H&M

Jacket: Warehouse

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Accidental Trans-Seasonal Dressing

I just realised that last week was a bit of a "how to wear spring/summer items when it turns cold" week. The Boden skirt was from SS16 and it's a light material with light coloured lining - I was just about to pack it away with the rest of my spring/summer wardrobe. The Versace dress is also a SS item: a very fine knit, probably more designed for milder days and bare legs. And the black dress is actually a sleeveless piece, also SS16.

I have a seemingly endless supply of black long-sleeve tops and opaque tights, so it's really just a matter of layering them with whatever I fancy in the morning. What do you think: yay or nay?

I thought this skirt would have to go into hibernation as I wasn't sure it would go with black tights and winter jumpers, but I think it kinda works...

Top: LaRedoute

Skirt: Boden

Boots: Zara

Necklace: Marni for H&M

Remember how I said that I still have clothes on my wardrobe I don't ever wear? Well, I'm trying to force myself to either wear them or let them go and this dress is one of those items. I think I've had it since 2011 (so pre- little M) and only ever wore it once. Bit booby for the office, even with another top underneath but just about OK. Might be able to justify keeping it.

Dress: Versace

Not sure whether this dress doesn't need any accessories but I was running late and couldn't figure out what to put with it in a rush.

Dress: &OtherStories

Hidden Layers

The mornings are now definitely chilly, so it's time for black tights, boots and the occasional woolly skirt. Thankfully I have a stack of thin, long sleeved jersey tops in various colours that I wear underneath whatever I want to wear on top. Layers it is!

I've had this blouse in the back of my wardrobe for years and since I'm trying to stick to my "wear it or it goes" policy, I made myself wear it. Perfectly goes with the antique Victorian locket Mr G got me one Christmas. 

Blouse: Warehouse

Skirt: Topshop

Locket: something very vintage...

Nothing like a bit of monochrome dressing. I was channeling Chanel - but at a Zara budget...

Dress: Zara

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Boots: Zara

I think I'm just gonna continue to match this shirt with whatever I can find. You'll shout if it looks silly, right? Xx 

Shirt: LaRedoute

Skirt: Topshop

No accessories as I was in a rush but think the dress can do it all by itself...

Dress: Boden

Thanks to Independent Fashion Bloggers, who selected my post for their Links à la Mode last week. Do have a look at the links to the other brilliant posts below!

• Canadian Tuxedo: Twin Brother is Watching You!
• Cat Eyes & Skinny Jeans: November Crush List!
• Cover Mum: The Navy Blazer
• Fashion Fairies: 3 Days 6 Looks! Diwali Special
• Finite1: Tunic and Leggings Style and What I Am Thankful For
• Five Foot Nothing Shopping: 9 Ways to Style a Blanket Scarf for Petites
• I’m a Norbyah: Introducing Swagalls
• La Veine: The Future Creators
• Les Assorties’: Fashion Film Insights: The 12 Project
• Lucy Van Dean: Fashion Bloggers at Fashion Week
• Modavracha: OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum Review
• Mon-Chic Style: Don't be a Crybaby!!
• Ms. FABulous: 5 NYFW Designers Who Cast Real People for Spring 2017
• My Own Sense of Fashion: Pastry and Pastels - An Interview with Designer Shelby Rider
• Smile is it: How to Wear Tulle Skirt and Metallics this Fall/Winter Season
• Style with Nihan: Public Desire Strappy Lace Up High Heels
• Suzanne Carillo: DIY Rhinestone Booties
• The Urbanista: All Black is the New Black!
• Trendee Toad: 8 Things Every Woman Needs at Her Desk this Fall
• Wish and Wear: Hidden Layers