Steering away from Pink and Grey

I've been having the biggest love affair with pink and grey for the longest time but a few weeks back another colour stole the show and thrusted itself into limelight... Say hello to yellow, accompanied by my good friend navy.

On a recent trip to London I spied this shirt and necklace ensemble in the Oliver Bonas at Kings Cross and honestly I could not get it out of my head. My friend Laura who was with me at the time was championing my decision to buy it but alas my bank balance was not... Thankfully a few days later I got paid and they went straight in my basket!

Being my first ever purchases from Oliver Bonas I felt dead fancy and like a proper grown up lady shopping there. I'd never spent so much on a shirt before and some of you may snort at the £49.50 price tag but for a lady who dithers over whether a top in Primark is worth £8... this was a big deal to me. As soon as I tried it on though I knew I'd made the right decision. The shirt's quality is just superb and I can see it lasting me a long time. It's an investment piece or at least thats what I tell myself (and the husband) to justify my splurge.

The necklace was also on the pricey side but I know it'll go with so many things. Even just a casual grey tee, jeans and the yellow bag will look great with very minimal effort. The necklace does all the talking for you.

As for the beret, I've been having major beret blogger problems! Maybe its the fact my head is the size of a small planet or that my forehead is particularly ginormous but it took me forever to figure out how to wear the f*cking thing! Thankfully Lucy from My Copper Haven briefed me up and gave me a beret break down on how to style it but worst case scenario it was only £2 from eBay so if it stayed in my wardrobe for the foreseeable future then so be it!

Talking of eBay, the bag is also Oliver Bonas but thrifted from an eBay seller. It was brand new but a couple of seasons ago so win win with that. Its bloody fab and lifts the navy brilliantly.

Coat- Boohoo

Shirt- Oliver Bonas

Necklace- Oliver Bonas

Jeans- F&F

Shoes- Matalan (similar/better ones here)

Bag- Oliver Bonas

Beret- eBay

This is one of those outfits that when I put it on I just feel...good, like really good and I can feel the confidence radiating from me with every stride I take and for that- the outfit is priceless. 

Do you have an outfit that makes you feel like this or are you gearing up to get one you've been coveting?

True Romance | A Valentines Outfit of The Day

It's February, Valentines will soon be here and already I'm feeling lace and pretty dresses for the occasion but with a bit of casualness thrown in with a biker jacket and a beanie!

I did this shoot with the rather wonderful Loved By Laura in a quaint village close to where we live. Little did we know that our choice of location is quite the spot for photography until we met Brian- a local owner of a classic car company.

Now I wish I could say the car below was mine (maybe one day) but Brian was super kind and offered to let me pose with this convertible dream!

Chris and I do tend to celebrate Valentines Day in some way; be it a meal in or a meal out, cocktails or a movie so I chose this dress from Tobi  as it can be dressed up and dressed down and the smock style is my jam! I love a bit of boho indie style and this dress really makes me feel like me. I can go out, eat a decent meal and no one will know how bloated I really am underneath- hurrah!

Dress- Tobi*

Leather jacket- Matalan

Boots- New Look

Hat (old)- New Look

Necklace- Joma Jewellery

Feather spinner ring- Old Farmhouse Jewellery

Have you got plans for Valentines Day this year and if so what are you planning to wear? I'll be spending it with Chris but also having a few Galentines get togethers too!

Black Beauties | Hotter Fit Fortnight

Top- Primark

Pinafore Dress- New Look (similar here)

Boots- Hotter*

Hat- eBay

As winter draws in the layers are increasing, boots are lengthening and clothing is thickening up for the weather ahead. I'm loving corduroy pinnies this season with knitwear and long boots and this one from  New Look is a cosy dream. It's kinda practical as far as dresses go? Nonetheless it cute for country walks with the husband and hound.

I picked these amazing boots during the Hotter Fit Fortnight - an event held throughout the Hotter stores for two weeks to promote getting shoes that fit you properly. I had my feet measured and instantly felt transported back to childhood and getting school shoes! Hotter have full and half sizes as well as a wide fit range to ensure you get the perfect fit. 

After lots of perusing and trying shoes on, I opted for the Belle Boots and they're ridiculously comfortable. You may recognise them as a taller version of the Lotty boots I got last year which are still going strong but the long length of these Belle Boots make them so cosy on my legs with their lovely lining. They go with everything... and I mean everything. I adore them with dresses and skirts but thrown on with a big chunky jumper and jeans looks equally as great. 

Hotter do a plum version which is was so tempted by but these black beauties go with so much in my wardrobe and their nubuck finish makes them look seriously chic. They were the perfect fit all thanks to the Hotter team sizing me properly and are an excellent addition to my boot collection.

What are your winter boots of choice this year?

Top Five Designer Dupes

I've never really done a post like this before and I must express that I use the term designer rather loosely but recently I've found myself drawn to such items but not their price tag so in true thrifty style I've found some similar alternatives...

Kate Spade spade stud earrings

I love me some Spade but I can't always justify a pair of earrings around the £40 bench mark. The latest signature spade studs are these gold ones in Selfridges, retailing at £30.00.

Now take these little beauties which are oh so similar and almost identical to the gold except they're silver. These retail at Jewellery Box for just £3.95, being almost a tenth in price and they're sterling silver! 

These are from Jewellery Box who also do a silver and enamel pair, similar to the Kate Spade gold and black enamel pair from a few seasons back. 

Jewellery Box- £4.95

Kate Spade- £40.00 

The Marble Side Table

As we all know, marble has been a huge trend for a while now and doesn't appear to be going anywhere. This side table from Dwell is pretty perfect for resting drinks or casually displaying some coffee table reads but at £249 I think I'll pass...

Meanwhile at George of Asda (yup you heard me right) they have this slightly smaller but taller version at a very reasonable price of just £25 and it's a solid marble top too!!

If you're not feeling the white legs you can spray paint them silver, copper, etc which I think you can stretch to, having saved £224 not buying it from Dwell. 

Alphabet Glasses

I loved the alphabet mugs in Anthropologie a few years ago and now they've moved onto glass tumblers which would look perfect on a drinks trolley ready for a cocktail. They retail at Anthropologie for £14 each and they are oh so pretty but I can do one better...

Say hello to these £4 beauties from Matalan! They are practically identical to the Anthropologie ones except that the gold looks a slightly different shade but for £4 I think you can let them off no?

The Chloe Nile Bag

Everyone has gone rather gaga over this Chloe Nile bag and admittedly I'm one of them. There's something about that ring detail that makes this bag irresistible but at £1,150 they're not within everyone's budget, including mine!

Let me introduce you to these eBay gems, retailing at £16.81 if you're purchasing from a U.K seller but they're even less if you're willing to wait for one to be shipped from Hong Kong or China. Now admittedly I can't take much credit for this dupe. Gemma from Lifes A Catwalk brought my attention to this dupe over on Amazon but I then found these cheaper ones on eBay. Notably there are some differences between the genuine article and the fake; with the ring handle being significantly larger on the dupe and the obvious Chloe logo is missing. Of course the quality won't be there with the dupe but for some throwaway fashion and a bit of fun- they're pretty decent!

On a Wet Wednesday

Who'd have thought this time last week was beautiful sunshine and shorts weather in the UK- being so hot some people of the British public were complaining! Fast forward a week and it's back to the usual wind. rain and wet wet wet.

Jacket and blouse- Matalan

Jeans- F&F

Shoes- H&M

Bag- Radley

The peeks of blooms are stopping my spirits from being dampened and I'm still wearing a pop of colour in my top and tassels of my shoes to keep me in the summertime zone.

I bought these suede flats last year from H&M's premium range. I have to say you can really tell the quality from their usual range with them being real suede and also extremely comfy. I haven't quite jumped on the mini bag trend but my small Radley is a nod in the right direction and surprisingly roomy for it's size.

I hope your week is going well so far. We've made it to half way through the week so it's got to get better from here, plus there's talks of sunshine appearing in time for the weekend!

I feel like this post has turned into a weather forecast slightly so on that note- Ta ra for now!