Monthly Archives: October 2014

An evening with Duo Boots #BootTribe

19th October 2014
On Thursday I broke out of my reclusive comfort zone and hopped on the train to Bath to meet up with some of my favourite South West blogger ladies and visit the Duo Boots store, or fitting room as it’s properly known as to learn a bit more about the brand and discover which Boot Tribe I belong to.
The first thing you notice when walking in to the fitting room is just how beautiful it is- hands down one of the most stunning and well thought out retail spaces I’ve ever set foot in. The Bath fitting room is the original Duo Boots fitting room and has been in place since the early 1970’s. They later expanded to London and Edinburgh. They specialise in expertly crafted footwear- from work perfect loafers to sexy over the knee boots all designed with comfort and style in mind. With three widths available and 21 different calf sizes for the boots you are guaranteed to come away with footwear that you never want to take off, and with an army of expert (and super gorgeous and friendly) fitters on hand to help you choose your perfect fit it’s a wonderful shoe shopping experience.
On the night we were given tags with our blog names on and left to run wild around the fitting room to choose our Boot Tribe (whilst being fed and watered with delicious food and bubbly- always a winner!). Prior to the event I would have put myself firmly in to the ankle boot tribe, but found myself more drawn to the knee high styles on the night and ended up coming away with the Somerset style, perfect for rather damp walks to work as well as looking effortlessly stylish. It was a hard task to choose though as honestly there are SO many styles to choose from. 60% of the girls opted for ankle boots, including Lily who went for some beautiful sparklers that almost made me change my mind! I was in good company though as 33% of us went for knee high styles, with only 7% putting themselves in the over-the-knee tribe, which I admit I was very tempted to join!
It was a wonderful evening and one of the best organised events I have been to. The girls from Octane PR could not have been lovelier and a special thanks goes to the ladies from the Duo fitting room for being so damn sweet and attentive. It was fantastic to catch up with some of my favourite faces, and to meet some new ones to. I can’t wait to see everyone again (note to self, socialising isn’t as scary as you think) and to have my beautiful boots safe at home with me, ready to be worn to death. I’ve never tried anything that fits me so perfectly- no knee muffin top or gaping calves for this girl! If you’re on the lookout for your perfect winter boots and don’t live near a Duo fitting room then you can check out the extensive range online, you’ll find all the information and guides you need to ensure you get your perfect fit too.
What boot tribe would you place yourself in? Stay tuned for plenty of outfit posts featuring my new pair!

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, life, life stuff, shoes

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His ‘n Hers

17th October 2014
Well, here’s a first on the blog- a his and hers outfit post! I finally managed to persuade Ben that he should make an appearance, although I don’t hold out much hope that it’ll happen again any time soon as I think he much prefers staying behind the camera!
Ben: Shirt c/o Guide London | Shorts: New Look | Shoes: Sarenza
Laura: Dress: Joy | Boots: Jonak at Sarenza
Guide London got in touch a while ago and offered to send Ben a shirt to feature on the blog. He (eventually) settled on this one after much pondering if he could pull off the paisley detail (I think he can!). He owns quite a few shirts now thanks to starting a new job but none of them can quite match up to this one in terms of quality- it looks and feels amazing and it fits really nicely. On this occasion Ben and I were making our way in to Bristol to meet up with his Brother and grab some food and I think it smartened up these shorts perfectly; it also looks equally good with some smart trousers for a more formal occasion. I think if we were rich Ben would get all of his shirts from Guide London having been suitably impressed by this one, however we’re not rich (yet) so the odd one as a treat will have to do (best get dropping hints to Santa!)
I’m wearing a dress I picked up in Joy when I visited the Bristol store to try on some of the A/W collection in September. I’ve been impatiently waiting for the weather to get cool enough to wear it and made no hesitation in reaching for it the second there was a chill in the air. This, and another dress I picked up on a more recent visit will no doubt be the ones I live in this Winter as I just love the fit, length and overall style of their current stock from house brand Louche- I have my eye on quite a few others too, although I can’t buy any until I get around to listing some of my unworn and unloved clothes on ebay!
I hope you enjoyed this little taste of something different on the blog- should I do more posts like this? What does your partner think of blogging? Would they ever make a guest appearance?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, review

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Daisy Rock

15th October 2014
Anyone who has been following my blog for any length of time will know how much I love a Chi Chi dress, it’s been a while since I last featured one on the blog- I think the last time was this divine maxi dress back in July and the one I’m featuring today couldn’t be more of a contrast!
This is the “Daisy” dress from the Chi Chi website (gifted item) and apart from the instant attraction due to the name it’s quite easy to see how I fell head over heels for this beauty isn’t it?

I love the contrast of the black bodice and the nude skirt, perfect for toughening up with my holographic h&m boots on a not so sandal friendly day! The Daisy detailing is so stunning, the photos honestly do not do how striking it is justice. I already have this dress lined up as a potential for our work Christmas Party, eek!

How would you style this dress? Obviously for a party I’d swap the black tights for nude and the boots for some kind of black party shoe- fingers crossed this will be the year where I haven’t had any pre-festive season A&E trips and will be back dancing in high heels!

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Posted in chi chi, christmas, outfits

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Flirty florals from Quiz Clothing

13th October 2014
It might be well and truly Autumn by now but I’m not at all ready to give up on my love of florals yet. I could have done with adding a layer or two to this outfit as despite the sun eventually shining there was a distinct chill in the air- this was over a week ago now and the weather had literally switched from warm to cold overnight!

Dress: c/o Quiz Clothing | Boots: Zara (here)

This dress is one of my all time favourite dresses. I’ve never ventured in to Bardot style shoulders before, I had assumed they would irritate me and feel like they were constantly slipping down but actually they are yet to bother me. There’s something about an off the shoulder dress that feels a little bit sexy, although with it’s skater style skirt and pretty floral pattern this can easily be dressed down and made more casual. It’s an absolute bargain too, in the sale at £14.99 and excellent quality, the fabric is quite thick and it hangs beautifully- the length is also pretty perfect even with my long legs!
The dress gave me the perfect excuse to bust out my new Zara boots. I saw these in store a fair few weeks ago and fell in love. They didn’t have my size in the Bristol store so I decided it was shopping karma telling me I really didn’t need yet another pair of ankle boots. I couldn’t stop thinking about them though; the gorgeous taupe colour made them different to anything I own and the heel height is perfect for daily wear. A second visit to the Bristol store a week yielded a hidden pair of size sevens…clearly the shopping gods wanted me to own these, and at £29.99 they didn’t exactly break the bank either!
For the perfect weekend outfit I’d add in my chunky grey midi-cardigan, some pretty jewellery (I never remember to grab photos of my accessories) and a bright handbag…ideal for a daytime of wandering around the city, followed by dinner and drinks with Ben and/or friends…you have to love such a versatile piece! Quiz isn’t somewhere I always think of to shop but whenever I do get something from there I always end up super happy with it.
What shops have you been loving lately? What’s your typical weekend style like?

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Posted in life stuff, outfits, shoes

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Meet the Mighty Purse

11th October 2014
Over the last year or so I’ve become more and more attached to my little gadgets, most recently I finally took the plunge and got myself an iPhone and I honestly don’t know why I didn’t make the switch before as I love it. My only gripe with it is the battery life (I went for the 5s) as it’s not the greatest and as I often spend the weekends away from home I resent having to pack my charger every time. I might have found a solution though as I was recently introduced to the Mighty Purse, basically a portable power bank that can give you up to two full charges before needing to be re-charged itself. Of course it also doubles up as a gorgeous clutch bag/purse, perfect for a night out, or weekend away (tucked inside my usual massive handbag, as I always carry a similar type pouch, just minus the inbuilt charger!)
Available in 16 block colours and a selection of prints and patterns there is a Mighty Purse to suit all tastes. I think the £80 price tag is pretty reasonable given you’re getting a high-quality leather accessory with a techno twist and the Mighty Purse is suitable for most smartphones with a micro USB and Apple products with a special adapter (sold separately). There are a couple of special collections too, if you’re looking for something even fancier and for those who want something to fit a mini-tablet in there is a X-Body bag available too!

I actually think the entire wow them site is full of brilliant devices for our technology driven generation. I’ve spied a few things that will make perfect Christmas presents for friends and family, as well as a couple of gadgets I wouldn’t mind for myself!

What do you think of this idea?

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Posted in gadgets, gifts, tech

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