Outfit: Black and Teal

When I first got these booties I had a vision of them with teal tights. I don’t know why, it just struck me that that would be a good combination. I thought I was going to have to wait until the fall to try it, but then it got cold again and today seemed like as good a time as any (though wouldn’t you know it, the wind has finally dropped and the sun is out today). The temperature is set to rise throughout the week so perhaps I can stop complaining about being cold and it will finally be warm enough for some of my summer clothes by next weekend.

Black dress – George at ASDA
Teal shrug – Long Tall Sally
Black suede booties – Buffalo (c/o Spartoo)
Teal tights – Accessorize
Teal belt – Claire’s
Teal necklace – Scope
Teal and silver bangles – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £40

Outfit: Saturday and Weekend Recap

Saturday morning the young man set off on his motorbike to meet his mate for a trip to Scotland. I had my parents coming for lunch and my sister coming to sleep over, so I made up the spare room and got things ready for lunch. My parents arrived and were suitably impressed with my sausage casserole and strawberry tart. In the afternoon my dad helped me to mend the puncture in my bike tyre and my mom read magazines.

Once they’d left I had an hour or so to have some tea and watch a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl before my sister arrived. We went to the local pub to watch the steel band, and had some chilli and rice for supper – very welcome as it warmed me up, the evening was surprisingly cold for the end of May. We didn’t stay until the end of band’s performance – they were very good but it was very cold in the pub car park and it kept raining, so we came home and watched Pretty Woman.

Sunday dawned slightly warmer but very windy. My sister wanted to get a small suitcase for her holiday that she could carry on as hand luggage, so we headed to the outlet mall a few motorway junctions away. She found what she was looking for, then we went to Pizza Hut for some lunch before returning home. We watched some old episodes of Neighbours on DVD and had some tea and then the young man arrived home.

Today was (another) bank holiday in the UK (we’ve done well this spring!) and of course it was very wet and rainy. By mid-morning it had brightened up a little, so we took a walk to the park where there was a model boat thing going on – I say ‘thing’ as it wasn’t really a contest or rally, there weren’t enough people there to call it that. Then we went to visit the young man’s parents. We got there just as they were having lunch so we blagged a free feed. It rained again in the afternoon and the young man helped his dad prop up a fence that had blown down in the wind yesterday. We had a leisurely afternoon reading the papers and ended up staying for tea with his parents.

The outfit is from Saturday: I had two layers under that sweater, wore a coat and scarf to go to the pub and I was still cold. Did I mention that it’s June in 2 days time?

Navy sweater – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Jeans – South (c/o Very.co.uk)
Tan boots – Barratts
Silver cross necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £60

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #54 and Some Super High Heels

I stuck with the jeans and black theme for another day, but I did decide to brave the ridiculously high heeled boots today. I mentioned yesterday that they were an eBay bargain: well they were. I paid £18.50 for them, brand new, and the label still stuck to the bottom said £150! I have some back up flats in my bag, just in case the heels get too much for me.

Last night I did the Tesco shopping, then sat down with a cup of tea to relax a bit. I was flicking through the TV channels and found The Carpenters in concert on BBC4. I noticed there was a documentary about them on afterwards so we watched that too. I don’t watch BBC4 very often, but I love how they will come up with some gems occasionally – an Eagles concert from the 70s, documentaries about the building of the motorway network or the National Grid (I know those sound boring, but they were actually fascinating).

This afternoon I need to call at ASDA on my way home for a dessert for tomorrow lunchtime. I have my parents coming over for lunch, then in the evening (weather permitting) it’s Caribbean Night at one of the pubs in the village. Steel band – yay!

Black jacket – Long Tall Sally
Black top – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Topshop Tall
Blue and black boots – River Island (eBay)
Silver and diamante necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted
Tan leather belt – River Island

Total Est. Cost £110.50

Tall Ranges to Diminish on the High Street?

When I went into my local DP on Monday and asked where the Tall range had gone (they’re always moving it around) I was informed that there were some trousers and jeans available, mixed in with the rest of the trousers and jeans, but that Arcadia were phasing out Talls altogether. As there are currently just 4 places on the high street that I can buy Tall clothing (New Look, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Long Tall Sally) this news was distressing to say the least. My shopping haunts seemed to be about to be halved, and even then Long Tall Sally are not in every town (my nearest stores are Manchester or York, neither of which are particularly near).

I contacted the press offices of both Topshop and Dorothy Perkins for their comments. Topshop got back to me and said that there were no plans to phase out the Tall line as it is very popular (as I would expect it to be, given the lack of choice available to anyone over 5’8”). They also said that Dorothy Perkins and Topshop are totally separate businesses and so staff of one would not know what the other is doing (and directed me to the DP press office, who I had already emailed, and who have not replied). However, this sales lady definitely said that Arcadia as a whole was phasing it out. I can only hope she was wrong about DP too.

Yes there is the option of online shopping, but why should I have to pay shipping on goods that are not available in the bricks and mortar stores, just because I am tall? How is that fair? I have said it before and will say it again: retailers, if you stock products on your website that are not available in your stores, SHIPPING SHOULD BE FREE. Yes, Next, I am talking to you. I love your Tall lines, but why should it cost me £3.95 extra because you choose not to stock the items in your stores?

My local Dorothy Perkins is getting the Petite range back though, the sales lady informed me cheerfully. So that’s alright then.

Outfit: Jeans and a Jumper

Sometimes you just want a simple outfit, and with the weather still on the cool side (hello, it’s the end of May! Time for some warm sunshine I think) I resorted to my old favourite of jeans and a simple black sweater. I had laid out a navy blue sweater but decided to save that for Saturday as it was a bit too casual. I had also intended wearing the ridiculously high heeled boots I got for a bargain price on eBay, but I have a few errands to run today and decided that wearing high boots for the first time might not be such a good idea. So the only thing that remains from what I had planned to wear is the jeans.

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next Tall
Black and cream shoes – Next (charity shop)
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £42

Stuff I’m...

Loving...

Homemade bread
Gossip Girl
Wheat bags that heat up

Not Loving...

People who dither at traffic lights
Arcadia, for phasing out the Tall ranges
Being cold all the time. It’s May!

Outfit: Heels Trump Flats

This morning I had laid out a choice of navy blue flats, or these reds heels. Of course the heels won out. They have been taunting me in my closet for the past week or so when it’s been either too wet or too cold for suede sandals. I am glad to have some sunshine and the opportunity to wear them again.

Last night my sister and her husband came over, and we walked down to our local pub for a meal. The food was excellent as usual. We went back to ours for a cup of tea, and out came my vinyl record collection (the record player I have is currently on loan from my brother in law). I love the medium of vinyl, despite its size and there for difficulty of storage.

Navy and white stripe blazer – Next Tall
Navy top – H&M
Brown crop chinos – New Look Tall
Red suede shoes – Valensi (c/o Sarenza)
Red beads – Ethel Austin
Silver and diamante necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted
Red and cream bangles – gifted

Total Est. Cost £73

Outfit: Red, White and Grey

I love grey as a neutral. I like it all year round, but it is so much better than black when temperatures rise and the sun is shining. And yes, we do have a little sunshine today although it is punctuated by heavy showers and it is still very windy.

Last night I went to my usual gym class and then watched two more episodes of Gossip Girl as the young man was out visiting his parents.

Grey jacket – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Grey dress – Long Tall Sally
White t shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Red shoes – NOW Discount Shoes (gifted)
Red belt – mall market stall
Red beads – eBay
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £60

Outfit: Spots and Stripes Take 2

Yes, I’m mixing spots and stripes again! I intend to remix this skirt with every navy and/or white item I own, plus some blue and red ones as well, so you’ll be seeing plenty of it this summer.

It is so windy today, and it was yesterday too. It kept pouring with rain yesterday, sometimes whilst the sun was still shining. I went to church in the morning and by the time I had been rained on twice and blown about by the gale force winds, I wasn’t really in the mood for taking pictures, so there aren’t any. I spent the afternoon watching episodes of Gossip Girl – I am completed addicted – punctuated by vacuuming, hanging out the washing and ironing. It was a thoroughly lazy afternoon and it was wonderful. I’ve had a sore neck since Friday morning (I think I must have slept funny or something) and sitting quietly yesterday with my wheat bag bear on my shoulder seemed to work wonders. I did feel bit guilty about microwaving my bear though, but there’s no choice as his wheat bag inside is sewn in.

Navy and green stripe top – H&M
Navy and white polka dot skirt – Dorothy Perkins
Navy shoes – Magrit (outlet mall)
Silver bling ring – River Island
Silver hoops – gifted
Green beads – I Am..... Boutique
Blue bead bracelet – gifted

Total Est. Cost £55