Outfit: Stolen From Gracie

You know how sometimes, you have absolutely no inspiration and just wish that someone would tell you what to wear? That happened to me yesterday afternoon. I had no clue what I wanted to wear today. Then I came across this post on The Flip Side of Oz and I realised I had everything I needed to recreate the outfit. So I totally stole it. I hope you don’t mind Gracie!

Anyway, how is it the last day of September already? It seems like five minutes since I was all “Yay! It’s September!” For the first time all week it is not raining and the sun is even out. Hooray!

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
White cami – Topshop
Jeans – South Tall at Very.co.uk (gifted)
Brown boots – New Look (eBay)
Silver belt – local boutique
Silver earrings – gifted
Silver cross necklace – gifted
Blue silk scarf – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £44

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #75 and a Bargain Coat

Another pair of boots ticked off the Shoeper Challenge. These were bought in New York on a trip I took there with my friend S back in 2003. They have been worn every winter since and have been re-heeled a couple of times. The soles were made of leather so they finally needed re-soling last winter. I was surprised to find they hadn’t been worn since before February (when the Shoeper Challenge started) but then again, there was snow on the ground most of February and March and these heels? Not exactly practical in the snow!

Do you like my new coat? It was the sale bargain I got at Long Tall Sally in Manchester the other week. I think I may have mentioned it. It was down to £45 from £90 and then there was a further 20% off all sale items so I think I paid about £33 for it. I love the colour, and the big funnel neck collar, and all the buttons down the front. Also, I am a walking advert for LTS today.

I am bare legged today (the gym and tights don’t really mix) but I think this will be about the last time. It’s October on Friday and getting chillier by the day.

Last night we walked up to the young man’s parents’ and visited with them for a couple of hours. Their house is always lovely and warm and it saved us from deciding whether or not our heating should go on again.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black skirt – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black boots – Arturo Chiang (Century 21)
Black socks – River Island
Silver bling ring – River Island
Turquoise necklace – Dorothy Perkins
Silver hoops – gifted
Turquoise coat – Long Tall Sally

Total Est. Cost £163

Outfit: Ruby Shoesday

Cosy trousers were just the thing for another cold grey morning. There has been a mist of damp drizzle hanging over the whole county for two days now. It is not really raining, but the air is wet and there is no light because the cloud cover is so thick. I switched out the black belt that came with these trousers and added the leopard print one instead. I have a few other belts that are skinny enough to fit the loops too.

Black polo neck sweater – New Look Tall
Grey trousers – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Leopard print belt – Dorothy Perkins
Red shoes – NOW Discount Shoes (gifted)
Red beads – Ethel Austin
Silver hoops – gifted
Silver bling ring – River Island

Total Est. Cost £56

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing a coat
...reading the huge September issue of In Style US
...watching Neighbours and Home and Away
...listening to the Dixie Chicks
...eating hot meals to keep warm
...shopping for nothing

Outfit: Grey Monday

The young man and I spent the weekend in London with some friends. We took Friday off and travelled down on an early train. We went to the Science Museum and the V&A (briefly), then walked up to Harrods. The girls shopped (I didn’t buy anything) whilst the boys got bored and went for a pint. Harrods is so huge that there is no mobile signal in the middle sections. Who knew?

Friday night we ate at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel next to ours.

Saturday we walked up to Notting Hill Gate (we were staying just off Kensington High Street) and down to the Portobello Road market, stopping for breakfast en route. Half the Underground wasn’t running on Saturday and Sunday so we took a bus (a new experience for me in London) to Oxford Street and walked from there to Hamley’s on Regent Street. We explored the Carnaby Street area a bit, and headed up to Covent Garden (via China Town and Leicester Square). From there we took the Underground back to South Kensington (the Piccadilly Line was actually working) and spent a bit of time looking at dinosaurs in the Natural History Museum.

Saturday night we ate at an Italian restaurant on Kensington High Street.

Sunday morning we went for breakfast off Kensington High Street, then returned to the hotel to check out. We walked down to Earls Court (where there were District Line trains running) and went to Westminster to look at Big Ben and the London Eye. We walked (with our suitcases) along the river right down to London Bridge, stopping for coffee a couple of times. Spying that Borough Market was just a stone’s throw away we went to check out the door used for Bridget Jones’s flat. From there we headed for Kings Cross/Paddington and home. We had a fantastic weekend and did a lot of walking. No outfit pictures but you didn’t miss much – it was a combination of jeans, white tops and black sweater or cardi most of the time, with tan boots or my FitFlop trainers. I wore my beige trench coat or a black blazer over the top, and my turquoise pashmina against the cold wind.

It was chilly at home and although the young man is determined not to put the heating on until November, he did put the fire on in the living room, and we decreed it time to put an extra quilt on the bed.

Having been cold much of the weekend, I decided today was a day for wrapping up in thick tights, a sweater, and a proper coat. Yay for proper coats! I think this pea coat looks a little 60s with my hair and a polo neck sweater.

I need to do some Tesco shopping this afternoon as I didn’t go on Thursday due to a combination of factors: my hair appointment, our friends coming over and us going away for the weekend.

Grey polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Grey skirt – Next Tall
Grey tights – Primark(?)
Purple boots – Love Label (Very.co.uk) (gifted)
Purple hearts necklace – gifted
Silver bangle – gifted
Silver earrings – gifted
Black coat – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Grey flower brooch – Primark

Total Est. Cost £76

Shoegal Flashback

What I was wearing this time last year.  Looks like I was being a rebel and wearing jeans on a Thursday!

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #74 and Purple Accessories

I bought these boots in Bristol the other weekend, to replace my beloved Matalan pair which sprang a leak last year (despite having been resoled). On reflection, I think it may still be a little warm for OTK boots and thick tights, but I needed something flat as I have to pick up some boots from the cobbler at dinnertime, and then I’m getting my hair done this afternoon and need to go to the Co-op in the village – lots of running around.

It’s not quite chilly enough for layering sweaters yet and this is the time of year when long sleeve t shirts come into their own. They are perfect for layering under dresses and short sleeve tops.

All my pictures came out blurry today, expect for the two you see here.

Black dress – George at ASDA
Purple top – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Purple tights – Accessorize
Purple belt – Ethel Austin
Black OTK boots – New Look
Purple bangles – Diamonds & Pearls
Pink/purple/silver bangles – gifted
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £77

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #73 and the Evolution of a Shoe

Some of you may remember this pair of shoes from a while back. They were a gift to me by Shudoo. There wasn’t a lot of choice in my size at the time I was offered a pair of shoes from them but I was drawn to the colour of this pair, if not the decorations on them. This is how they started out:

I removed the balls and added some leopard print bow shoe clips that I bought from Etsy.

They still weren’t appealing to me though, and they languished unworn in my wardrobe for many months. I finally decided that jewels were the way to go, so I removed the pad that had held the balls and stuck on some jewelled stones with fabric glue. Et volià! A pair of shoes I want to wear.

This scarf is another item that has been worn at least once a week since I got it, and it is likely to continue that way for some time to come. It’s a great way to jazz up an ordinary jeans and sweater outfit though.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – South Tall (Very.co.uk) (gifted)
Turquoise suede flats (customised) – Hoss Intropia (Shudoo) (gifted)
Silver bling ring – River Island
Turquoise scarf – H&M
Silver hoops – gifted
Turquoise bangle – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £51

Outfit: The 21st Day in the Month of September (Ruby Shoesday)

Red and purple is an awesome combination, don’t you think? I am cheating a little on Ruby Shoesday this week as it’s only the hearts on my shoes that are red. But whatever, it’s still red. I love that this scarf exactly matches the red hearts and I just love this top (as you may have guessed from me wearing it every week for the past 3 weeks!).

Purple top – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – South Tall (Very.co.uk) (gifted)
Fuchsia Lady Dragon Heart shoes – Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa (Shudoo) (gifted)
Red scarf – made to match my bridesmaid dress
Silver bling ring – River Island
Red beads – Ethel Austin
Silver hoops – gifted
Red belt – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £24

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing trousers
...reading the huge September issue of In Style US
...watching Neighbours and Flying Doctors
...listening to Bucks Fizz
...eating pasta bake and apple crumble
...shopping in London!

Outfit: Teal and Grey and New Trousers

I know that the young man prefers to see me in trousers, and I prefer to wear grey trousers rather than black ones. It struck me last week that my only pair of grey trousers are wool ones and therefore only really suitable to be worn when it is cold. And even though I complain about being cold, it is not actually that cold out yet. I was up at the retail park on Saturday and popped into Dorothy Perkins because it is there. I spied these trousers in the Tall section and tried them on, along with another pair which were a bluey-grey colour. This pair were the clear winners – the fabric is lovely and soft but heavy enough to hang well and they have a feint Prince of Wales check on them to add a bit of interest. The other pair were the same price but the fabric looked and felt cheap.

Teal top – H&M
Teal shrug – Long Tall Sally
Grey trousers – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black belt – free with trousers
Teal faux suede wedges – Matalan
Teal and silver bangles – Accessorize
Teal heart necklace – Scope
Teal beads – Claire’s
Silver earrings – gifted

Total Est. Cost £58.50