Monthly Archives: June 2016

A Satchel for Summer*

29th June 2016
This Summer I’ve been craving pastels and bright colours more than anything. I guess it’s the grey skies and gloomy atmosphere that’s doing it but I suddenly want all of my accessories to be as bright and punchy as possible- even ditching my beloved black Mulberry Bayswater in favour of a mint green TK Maxx find. I’ve always had a soft spot for Satchel Bags, from their multi-ways to wear and practical nature to the way they effortlessly make you look that little bit smarter, both in dress and intellect. So in my sick-leave induced virtual window shopping I’ve popped together a little round-up of some of the highstreet’s best offerings.
The top two bags are via House of Fraser and the most expensive offerings being Michael Kors and DKNY. Despite being (in my eye) what I wouldn’t call a typical satchel I was persuaded by the beautiful soft colours and hint of luxury to include them in this list. It’s not all designer details at House of Fraser though, you’ll find plenty to suit all tastes and all budgets- I never manage to leave a store without some kind of purchase!
The middle row goes to ASOS, home of every bag style under the sun including those you never knew existed. I especially like the laser cut detail satchel as it’s perfect for adding a laid back boho vibe to a denim and white tee kind of outfit or a paisley printed dress.
Last but by no means least come two beauties from Brit-Stitch, a brand I have followed from the start and watched grow and flourish. I’m a big bag kind of girl, I just don’t seem to be able to condense down what I carry but given how head over heels I am with the adorable “with love from Brit-Stich” pink heart detailed mini satchel I’m going to have to perfect the art.
Are you brightening up your summer with accessories too? The perfect compliment to a sun-shiney day and an essential mood booster on the grey ones.

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Posted in accessories, shopping, wish list

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Denim Dedication with George at Asda

27th June 2016

Jeans and I have a slightly love/hate relationship. From the ages of 15-20 I pretty much lived in them solidly with a carefully curated collection of pairs I knew I could rely on. For a while though I just didn’t like jeans at all. I suddenly took against every pair I owned and just couldn’t find anything I liked enough to replace them. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago at the grand old age of 27 that I decided to brave jeans again, branching out and trying new styles and shops and learning to embrace cuts that previously I would never have contemplated.

George at Asda have recently done some research in to the ultimate Jeans Queens and invited me to take a look at their selection of denim and pick out a pair to style. With my collection slowly and surely building again and inspired by the selection of gorgeous bloggers featured on the Jeans Queen page I decided to select a pair of Summer skinnies to my denim wardrobe.

Cold Shoulder Top, Sandals and Jeans all c/o George at Asda

At £16 these jeans are an absolute steal and fit me as well as any other high street brand, if not better. I felt like the belt gave this an almost boho vibe so rolled with the theme and picked out this beautiful and on trend crochet cold shoulder top and embellished sandals to finish the look. It might not be adventurous or truly fashion forward but this is the kind of thing you’ll find me wearing over the Summer weekends, perfect for a seafront stroll or picnic in the park and the jeans will look equally as good with one of my beloved slogan tees and my faithful Converse too!

Are you a denim devotee? Who’s jeans style do you admire most? I find bloggers far more inspirational than any celebrity if I’m honest and I have serious wardrobe envy over much of my bloglovin’ feed. After seeing them on several of my favourites I’m thinking some bright and funky embellished jeans are next on the list…

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Posted in outfits, shopping

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Needing a Break*

26th June 2016
I haven’t mentioned it specifically on the blog but if you follow me on social media you’ll know that for the last two months (and counting) I have been signed off of work as anorexia once again held a tight grip on my brain. Things are getting brighter now and I’m making progress but it hasn’t been an easy ride- forget sitting in front of daytime TV and doing nothing, fighting any mental illness is an exhausting battle and one I very much need a break from.

(image)

The other week my Mum and I were talking about taking a break, to escape from it all for a while. A week in the Spanish sunshine would be perfect but equally we’d settle for checking in to a hotel– perhaps in London for a theatre show and shopping extravaganza, or perhaps we’d stick closer to home and hop on the train to Bath and indulge in some pampering at the Roman Baths and potter about the cobbled streets.

Either way I do feel in dire need of a break from reality at the moment, but I know to get the best from that I need to be as well as possible- and so once again the journey to recovery begins in earnest and this time it really will be for the last time. As I approach the grand old age of 30 next year I feel far too old and like life is far too short to let this take any more of me.

And I’ll use this post to send a public thank you to everyone who has offered support and encouragement over the last few months- from my friends and family to the tweets and blog comments. From the fantastic professionals supporting my care to my workplace who have been beyond understanding and supportive. I am humbled and I am grateful.

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Posted in life, life stuff

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Saying it with a Tee

24th June 2016
Every fashion season I get obsessed with one particular style of clothing. For winter it was roll neck tops and for Summer it’s the slogan tee. I’ve picked up quite a few already- not the loud and proud slogans of my youth, I’ve been drawn to it’s more grown up sibling. Just a little bit of quirky detail that makes a subtle statement. Daisy Street has been almost the sole source of this season’s obsession with it’s brilliant range affordable statement tees, at £12.99 a pop I already have four to my name with my sights on a fair few more!

Tees c/o Daisy Street | Dungarees c/o Long Tall Sally | Denim Skirt: New Look

The combination of denim with a slogan tee has become my default outfit choice of late. Usually I alternate between my trust denim pinafore dress or the denim skirt you can see above but I also love these wide leg dungarees a lot so once I get around to finding some wearable heeled sandals these will be taking a more regular place in my denim parade.

I sometimes feel I should be branching out a bit in what I’m wearing at the moment but I’m in a funny situation where I’m off work and not many of my clothes fit. This is something I feel cool and comfortable in- if it ain’t broke don’t fix it right?

Have you got a uniform of sorts right now? What slogan would you most like on a tee?

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One for the Boys: Noose and Monkey*

23rd June 2016
It’s not very often you’ll find menswear crop up on the blog but it has been known to happen when I’ve seen a collection or brand that has particularly caught my eye- and Noose and Monkey succeeded very well at bringing themselves to my attention. Their SS16 collection is bold, bright and very, very loud. Not for the fainthearted (I’m not sure I could persuade Ben to give anything but a plain-ish shirt a try) but aesthetically easy on the eye, the first word that springs to mind is “snazzy”.
The brand has a pretty cool ethos. Looking at the truth and the lie, the innocent and the guilty and the Noose and the Monkey. Their concept is to look at the two sides to every story and every man and to play with twisting those ideas.
Prices are pretty good in my eyes. I’m not overly familiar with shopping for a suit but at £35 for a plain shirt, £120 for a jacket and £12 for a tie they certainly aren’t as eye-wateringly expensive as some designers!

Do you have an appreciation for menswear? Any men reading, would you be brave enough to wear one of Noose and Monkey’s suits?

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