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

Outfit: Sunny Tuesday

It looks like it might actually be a nice day today. And what am I wearing?! A black suit! Trouble is, you can’t tell what the weather is going to be like these days. It can start off lovely and sunny and promising for a warm day, and then be raining by 11am.
Black suit jacket & trousers – Long Tall Sally
Turquoise cami – Topshop
Turquoise bead necklace – Accessorize

Black Mary-Janes - Dolcis

Outfit: Grey Monday

Grey ¾ sleeve v neck sweater – Gap
Electric blue cami – Topshop
Grey city shorts – Next
Grey shoes – New Look (charity shop)

New Shoes!

I was on Whitby on Saturday and we only went into one charity shop but I managed to nab a bargain! These faux grey suede New Look shoes were just £3.50 and they had never been worn.

High Street Ages

Last night the young man and I were discussing the high street chain Next, and he asked me how long Next had been around. Horrified, I admitted I didn’t know (that’s the kind of thing a shopaholic fashionista should know, right?). So I have looked it up and durr! It’s 1982. As in the established ‘82 sweaters they were selling a few years back. D’oh! But this has got me thinking, much of the high street is far older than I realised so why not investigate further and make a list (everyone loves a good list, right?)?

Well, it turns out that Next is the baby of the high street. Great-Grandma Dorothy Perkins dates back to 1909 when it was established as H.P. Newman Ltd., changing its name to Dorothy Perkins in 1919. 1919 is the year that Debenhams was also founded. In 1948, a shop called Lewis Separates began. This would change its name to Chelsea Girl before becoming River Island in 1989. 1964-66 were good years for fashion as they saw the launch of Topshop (1964), Faith (1964) and Miss Selfridge (1966). Topshop began life in a Sheffield department store called Peter Robinson and it wasn’t until 1974 that it became a standalone business. Zara also launched in 1974 with Long Tall Sally following 2 years later in 1976.

Outfit: Rainy Friday

But it’s sunny too and there’s the prettiest rainbow outside my window right now.

Pink and orange spot dress – H&M (charity shop)
White v neck t – Tall Girls
Bootcut jeans – Zara
Pink boots – Bertie (BT2, Dublin)

Faith Bags

In a bid to be more environmentally friendly, Faith have ditched the plastic carrier bags and are now using these lovely cloth ones instead. I think it enhances the shopping experience as I feel like I’ve been given a free gift of a pretty shopper bag as well as my new shoes. Now if only every other high street store would follow suit…

Tights

I don’t feel right wearing black tights in the summer, but when it’s chilly like it has been lately you need something to cover your legs, and nude tights or fishnets don’t always cut it. So the way forward has to be coloured opaques. And with this in mind I have just ordered some Jonathan Aston opaques in Fuchsia and Teal from My Tights. Whilst I was at it I decided to splash out on some Levante wool rib tights in grey and brown (or Charcoal and Mocha) ready for the Autumn and Winter (or next week if the weather keeps this up!). The postage is a bargainous £1.95, but why pay it twice if you don’t have to?

Outfit: Thursday

Turquoise/green cardi – Dorothy Perkins
Turquoise/green vest – Topshop
Grey city shorts – Next
Black mules – Nine West (charity shop)

New Shoes!

Last night I finally spent the Faith voucher I got for my birthday in April (thanks little sister). I tried on 4 pairs of shoes and eventually opted for these sensible flats in silver (thouguh they look a bit gld in this picture for no reason). My all time favourite pair of flat blue shoes need reheeling and I’m not sure how much longer they will last. So I needed a new pair of smarter flats to phase in.

Outfit: Not Raining (So Far!) Wednesday

Pink long sleeve Favourite T – Gap
White shirt – Long Tall Sally
Black pencil skirt – Long Tall Sally
Pink leather & suede Mary-Janes – Clarks

Luxuriously Tall

The other day I was reading a post on Dollymix about clothing (or rather the lack thereof) for taller women. The writer was complaining about Long Tall Sally not being to her taste. I clicked to comment to tell her not to moan – at least LTS is an option! – and noticed that someone else had posted a link to Luxuriously Tall. The store owner says this on the homepage:

I am a retired military woman who realized I would now need real clothes to wear. When I discovered how few stores there were for the tall woman, I decided to open one myself. I look at things more from the consumer point of view, as I have been a consumer longer than I have been a retailer. I want to make you look fabulous in quality, fashionable, up to date apparel.
We carry tall women's clothes such as tall junior jeans to tall casual wear, tall sportswear & tall career suits. Clothing lines include Pendleton, Jara, Jay Leslie, Cruel Girl, Wrangler and Ingenuity.

I had never heard of them before but, always eager to increase my options for clothes shopping, I clicked on the link. And I was pleasantly surprised.
The jeans all come in a 36” leg (some come in a 38” leg) and are very reasonably priced - $49.99 to $119.99.
This coat is reduced from $204.99 to $102.50. Ignore the older lady wearing it, it is a classic style and even at full price is only £102, not particularly expensive for a full length coat that is 80% wool.

And I love this black taffeta blouse at $83.99.

There are handy hints on sizing, such as telling you when an item is running small and advice to go up a size. The sizing and pricing is US, but they ship all over the world, contact them for a guesstimate on shipping to your country. The clothing prices are similar to those charged by Long Tall Sally & Tall Girls.
There are plenty of dresses to choose from; my favourite is this black wrap at $111.29 (down from $158.99).

Currently there is a ‘buy any dress and get a second one for a PENNY!’ promotion running. Now if only I wasn’t still Not Shopping…!
They stock shoes in US sizes 10-13 (8-11 UK). And where would this site be without shoe pictures?! I like these brown pointed courts, $106.40 (down from $152).

I have to admit to being slightly scared by the Unitard catsuits in the Active Wear section. Here, judge for yourself!


But somehow they’ve managed to apply the ‘not many left’ discount so someone must be buying them.
Overall, I was very impressed. Not all items have all the sizes left now but it’s mid-season so that’s to be expected. I will definitely be checking back in a month or so to see what the Autumn collection has in store.

Outfit: Tuesday

Brown pinstripe jacket – Long Tall Sally
Brown pinstripe trousers – Long Tall Sally
Pink crochet top cami – Marks and Spencer
Pink shoes – Nine West (Debenhams)

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing layers – it’s raining but it’s not that cold
…reading Monday’s Child by Louise Bagshawe
…watching Friends, season 9
…listening to The Seekers
…eating toast
…shopping for a new duvet cover and pillowcases

Outfit: Showery Monday

White shirt – Oasis
Brown skirt – New Look
Teal v neck tank – Next
Brown shoes – Roberto Vianni (Debenhams)
Teal scarf – Marks & Spencer