Happy Birthday Shoegal!!

I’ve been blogging for a whole year! So happy birthday to my blog! Here’s a shoe cake (well it’s made of icing) for me.

Outfit: Sunny (again?!) Tuesday

Brown tweed shorts – H&M
Turquoise vest – Topshop
Brown shrug – Ann Taylor Loft (charity shop)
Brown shoes – Roberto Vianni (Debenhams)

Key Pieces for Next Season

I love autumn fashion the most of all the seasons in the year, and am looking forward to some very wearable trends this year. According to the August issue of Elle magazine (UK edition – yes, I’m borrowing heavily from that publication today!), these are the top pieces to incorporate into your wardrobe for this coming season.

1. Block colour dress
2. Short swing coat
3. Coloured opaques – get thee to MyTights.com! (I tip grey tights to be huge too.)
4. Beret
5. Jumpsuit – I said wearable but the exception proves the rule. I don’t care how ‘must have’ these become, please, do yourself a favour and don’t succumb. They look good on no one.
6. Shoe boots
7. Jodphurs – these were shown at Balenciga. According to this week’s Look magazine, Gap are doing a pair and they are tipped to sell out as soon as they arrive in store.
8. Big clutch
9. Skirt suit – this could pick up the 1940s trend quite nicely.
10. Giant knit – warm and cosy for winter and in keeping with the trend for texture.

New Season Trends

It may only be the end of July, but given the recent wet and not-so-warm weather in the UK, I’m already starting to look ahead to the autumn and specifically, what I will be wearing. I've been trying to resist opaque tights for weeks now! According to the August issue of Elle magazine (UK edition), these are the trends to watch out for in the new season:
1. The Waist – think wide belts to cinch in all those smock dresses we’ve had this ‘summer’.

Waist and volume at D&G

2. Dressing up – at Dior elegant dresses were the order of the day

3. Texture replaces embellishment as the focal point for garments – my interpretation of this will be cord, velvet, chunky knits, suede.

4. Modern – this is described as timeless classics by modernist labels. I am not really sure what this means but as the skirt suit is a must have piece for next season, a modern take on that could be in order.

Modernist at Sinka Stantic

5. 1940s – feminine, womanly styling with ‘proper’ hair and make up, the waist trend follows this through nicely.

1940s & block colour at Dior

6. Colour – in blocks rather than trims, coloured opaques with an all black outfit will be a big look come autumn.

7. S&M – boots, black patent belts and buckles all feature here.

S&M @ D&G

8. Nu-tec – Again, I’m not sure what this means but later on in Elle they have a feature on ‘techno fabrics’. However, as these are listed as cotton jersey, leather, nylon-mix, lambskin, silk, metal & wood, acrylic, plastic & metal, and suede, I’m not sure what’s so ‘techno’ about them.

9. Boho-tec – clashing but unique styling, as seen at Balenciga.

10. Volume – sleeves, coats and evening wear.

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing summer clothes? Is the weather perking up at last?
…reading the new Harry Potter! So don’t tell me what happens!
…watching well, nothing. We’re down to the special features on the Friends DVDs now
…listening to Elton John
…eating Fairbreak bars
…shopping for boots in the sale at Debenhams (if they’ve been sufficiently reduced)

Outfit: Sunny Monday

Brown linen mix skirt – Dorothy Perkins
Blue velvet waistcoat – Primark
White v neck t – Tall Girls
Navy patent shoes – Magrit (outlet store)

Outfit: Overcast and Rainy Friday

Long and lean jeans – Gap
Teal cotton rib v neck sweater – Gap
White long sleeve T – Tall Girls
Beige shoes – Faith

Outfit: Black and Teal Thursday

Black dress – George @ ASDA
Teal shrug – Ann Taylor Loft (charity shop)
Teal scarf (as belt) – Per Una at Marks & Spencer
Teal boots – Faith

Outfit: Wet Wednesday

Beige/blue/green dress – Long Tall Sally
Blue cami – Topshop
Beige shoes – Faith
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam

Outfit: Sunny Tuesday

Blue & black dress – Dorothy Perkins
Black shrug – unknown
Black boots – Arturo Chiang (Century 21)
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam
Black pendant – Scope

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing clothes I have not worn yet this week in an attempt not to repeat items for as long as possible
…reading Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell (the book is not as good as the TV show)
…watching Friends Season 10 (the young man wonder what we will do once we’ve finished the boxset!)
…listening to all my CDs in the order they are on the rack
…eating chocolate and raisin Geobars
…shopping my closet for new outfit ideas

Outfit: Monday

Brown linen mix skirt – Dorothy Perkins
Brown tank with stripe shirt sleeves & collar – George @ ASDA
Brown boots – Nine West

(I'm wearing the boots shown but in Dark Brown. I'd love them in red though!)

Outfit: Breezy Friday

Blue & white pattern dress – Internaçionale (charity shop)
Blue shrug – Dorothy Perkins
Cuffed crop jeans – Dorothy Perkins
Brown boots – Faith
Blue & silver bangles – Oxfam

Outfit: Sunny Thursday

Brown linen blend jacket – Dorothy Perkins
Brown linen blend trousers – Dorothy Perkins
Pink cami – Marks and Spencer
Pink shoes – Nine West (Debenhams)

Outfit: Showery Wednesday

Black & cream stripe dress – Charity shop
Red Shrug – Charity shop
Red shoes – Next
Red belt – Market stall

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing red and black and white
…reading Daniella Westbrook’s autobiography
…watching Neighbours Revealed
…listening to Radio 2
…eating fruit
…shopping at the supermarket (for food, not clothes!)

Outfit: Overcast Tuesday

It’s forecast to rain again today (anyone else getting sick of the rain now?!) so it’s back to knee high boots to stop me getting wet feet. I feel slightly silly boots in July but if (when) it does rain I’ll be glad I wore them.

Black and cream wrap dress – Dorothy Perkins
Red cami – New Look
Black boots – Arturo Chiang (Century 21)

Outfit: Sunny Monday Evening

Well the sun came out so when I got home from work I decided to walk into the village to return my library books. This is the same cami I had on earlier, but now you can see how it turned out when I chopped it down from a dress to make it a long length top.

Shrug, cami – as below
Dark skinny jeans – Gap
Silver flats – Faith

Outfit: Dry Monday

Red shrug – Charity shop
White cami – Charity shop
Black skirt – Dunnes
Red shoes – Next
Silver bangles – Scope
Red heart pendant – Claire’s

Outfit: St Swithun’s Day Sunday

Grey sweater – Gap
Blue suede skirt – Oasis
Grey shoes – New Look (charity shop)

Charity Shopping

On Wednesday, I picked up a third bargain for 99p – this purple dress. It is sleeveless and has a roll neck. There’s a thin belt/buckle thing attached to the front which I may yet cut off, I’m not sure. This dress can be worn as it is in the summer and with a sweater or long sleeve t under it in the winter.

On Saturday I was at it again and I snagged the following:

Monsoon pink tweed skirt, £2.99






Turquoise dress, £3.59


Navy & cream dress (that I am intending to chop off into a cami top), £2.50

I also go the white cami in today’s outfit shot (it started life as a dress), £2.99 and the red shrug, £3.00.

Outfit: Casual Friday

I’m more dressed down than usual today as I wanted to build a casual outfit around my silver shoes. The t shirt was another charity bargain on Wednesday – just 99p!

Grey t – Next (charity shop)
Black shrug – New Look
Dark skinny jeans – Gap
Silver shoes – Faith
Silver belt – Dorothy Perkins

Style Icon: Andy Sachs

I just loved the style of Anne Hathaway's character in 'The Devil Wears Prada'.

Outfit: Pink and Brown

Brown linen mix jacket – Dorothy Perkins
Brown linen mix skirt – Dorothy Perkins
Pink sleeveless t – George at ASDA
Pink and brown slingbacks – Faith

The suit is much paler brown than it looks here.

Another Charity Shop Bargain

Oasis shoes, £5.99 in Oxfam.

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing dresses – I think summer might be here at last! (maybe)
…reading the August issue of Cosmopolitan
…watching Hollyoaks
…listening to Weird Al Yankovic
…eating chocolate torte
…shopping in charity shops

Outfit: Wednesday Dress

Black dress – George at ASDA
Black shrug – unknown
Silver belt – Primark
Silver shoes – Faith