Citizen Womens Watch

I love my new watch. I was kindly given it as a birthday gift and it is one of my favourites. The mother of pearl face shimmers different shades of purpley silver and the light catches on the crystal set bezel that surrounds it. The white leather strap is feminine, sophisticated and perfect for matching with summery outfits. It is a citizen eco drive watch which means that it is powered by light rather than battery power… nifty. Also, this watch is a great price- currently retailing in H. Samuel for half the price here.

My Workwear Look Book

 

As you can see I wear a lot of black and grey at work. I much prefer wearing muted shades in a professional environment- it is certainly the safer option particularly when you are meeting with customers on a daily basis. More importantly it requires very little thought when it comes to outfit planning- grey goes with grey, black goes with grey- black on black? That goes too! No early morning dilemmas for me!

I tend to favour trousers over skirts and dresses, just because I don’t have to worry about tights or my pasty legs. After working as cabin crew for 6 months I am now well and truly attached to my high heels and haven’t been able to bid them goodbye yet. This pair from Marks and Spencers are the comfiest shoes ever, I can walk for hours in them!

In the first picture I am wearing this ultra comfy polo top from Marks and Spencers and the accompanying pencil skirt is also from there. I have to admit that they are my first port of call for work wear. It is such good quality at an affordable price.

The second outfit shows one of my favourite pair of work trousers from BHS. At £17 they are a complete bargain and have lasted me fantastically. The zip detailing on them finishes the look nicely and I will definitely be repurchasing. Finally my top was bought a little while ago from Next who no longer stock it, however I have found a similar tweed top here.

Perhaps my work wardrobe needs a little injection of colour for Spring, however I have a feeling that the black may be staying around for a little longer. What do you think? Are black and grey your fail safe colours too?

 

Winter Look Book

In Winter I live in oversized jumpers and my black skinny jeans. It has to be the simplest ensemble to throw on, and it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion with heels and jewellery or flats and a scarf.

Left Top: Loft (USA), Trousers: Dorothy Perkins, Shoes: River Island

Right Top: New Look, Trousers: Dorothy Perkins, Boots: Zara

 Left Dress: Primark

Right Top: next, Trousers: Dorothy Perkins, Heels: Zara

Both Jackets: River Island (I couldn’t choose!)

I love this years tartan trend: growing up with Scottish influences from my family tartan clothing was a common occurrence in my wardrobe as a child. I was so happy  to pick up this tartan dress from Primark- luck had it as the last one in store and in my size: that never happens!

I am really happy with my wardrobe this season, I think I have found a good rhythm in the outfits that I have chosen. Looking over these pictures it seems that I have a tendency for black, red and grey clothing (with a dash of pink!). I always seem to lean towards these colours subconsciously, often purple is included in that list too. I guess I like girly colours with a dash of black for a grungier effect. Also loving a red lip at the moment too- all in all I am very satisfied with my wardrobe right now, definitely a rarity for me so I will cherish the feeling!

I Wore a Ball Gown & I liked it

I was very gladly invited to accompany my boyfriend on a boat trip down the Thames as part of a work do for a client that he works for.

The dress code was ‘dress to impress’, which naturally doesn’t give much away. We concluded that this probably meant ‘come in whatever you feel comfortable in’. However, never being one to miss out on an opportunity, particularly when this involves getting all dressed up, I immediately headed for my local dress hire shop in a bid to find something glam and unique that couldn’t be found on the high street.

A bonus about hiring dresses is that you spend a fraction of the price on a dress that would cost a hefty sum to buy. In reality, I hardly ever wear the dresses that I purchased for big events, ball gowns only surface from my wardrobe when I have a ball/wedding/special occasion to attend, which lets face it- is pretty rare. Hiring seemed the perfect solution.

So after trying on a selection of dresses that the shop owner helped me pick up, I decided on a long gold number with a sparkly bodice and a slit up the leg. My boyfriend hired a tux with a waistcoat that had gold detailing so that we could match.

 

 

 

The evening was lovely and we were spoilt with free champers all night and the cutest array of minature food, including hamburgers, hotdogs and fish and chips. I think it is safe to say that we were definitely the most overdressed.. but why squander an opportunity to wear a ball gown?!

The Silver Sturgeon departed from the Savoy pier and docked at the London Eye. The lit up buildings and bridges across the Thames were fantastic to see and the night was very enjoyable.

We booked in to a hotel for the night so that we had somewhere to change before the evening & it meant that we didn’t have to worry about transport all the way home. The next day we enjoyed a wander around London, taking in some sights and visiting the Saatchi gallery and the Imperial War Museum. We also stopped in at House of Fraser on Oxford Street and had a lovely cream tea in their restaurant which was decorated in an adorable shabby chic theme. 

It was fantastic to spend my days off together and to do something a bit different and out of the ordinary, its these get aways that create the most memorable moments to cherish.

 

 

My Skater Dress Obsession

Since I’ve been back from my trip to L.A I have been spending some quality time with my family and my boyfriend- in fact I’ve been very extravagant and have lunched both days (oh, to be a lady of leisure), done menial tasks such as food shopping and some slightly more satisfying tasks that come in the form of shoe shopping- which also led to a naughty purchase of a H&M dress. 

As I was browsing the rails of H&M I realised that whenever I go clothes shopping these days I always veer towards the same item. In fact, put me in a clothes shop and I seem to have a radar/some sort of weird instinct that naturally leads me to pick out all the skater dresses.

They’re just so easy: easy to wear, easy to style, dress up or dress down, flattering on all body shapes and fun and frivolous….all sounds great, but it got me thinking.. when did I become so predictable with my fashion sense?.. how did I get so safe?

I wouldn’t say I was ever a Lady Gaga styled fashionista, but being an art graduate I have had my moments of out-there fashion choices. I distinctly remember believing I had emulated Alice in Wonderland- I had this denim floaty dress that I loved and these white tights that I wore constantly. This was circa age 17. 

Ok, so the age of experimentation is behind me- at around 21 years old when I was getting really passionate about my artwork at University I decided to channel all my creativity in to that- that was my creative outlet, I didn’t need to express myself through fashion anymore- and thats probably when it fell to the wayside, or at least took a back seat.

So, I decided today that I’m going to stop being safe with what I wear. I don’t mean I want to start wearing crazy, whacky stuff- maybe just throw myself out of my comfort zone a bit. 

With that said, this truly, truly is (I’m vowing for it to be) my last skater-style dress purchase.