Outfit: Ruby Shoesday Remembered

So yes, I totally forgot about Ruby Shoesday until about 2pm today. But that means you get an extra post, a casual Ruby Shoesday outfit. After I have been swimming my hair dries wavy, but not fluffy wavy like it would if I had washed it. It must be the chlorine or something.

I am home alone tonight so I have done a pedicure and am waiting on my friend calling me. I am also hoping it doesn’t rain again as I have my towels on the line that I need again tomorrow.

Red cardi – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Blue ruffle top – Paul and Joe Sister (free with magazine)
Jeans – South (Very.co.uk) (gifted)
Red flats – Matalan
Red belt – Dorothy Perkins
Jewellery as earlier today

Total Est. Cost £37

H&M to Launch Online Shopping Next Month

The wait is almost over! H&M have finally come to their senses and will launch an e-commerce site in the UK on 16th September. If you want to receive an invitation to view previews of the new site, you can sign up to the newsletter now at H&M.com.

Outfit: More Black and Blue

Knee high socks are going to be everywhere this autumn and they are a great way to ease into autumnal dressing without getting too hot, should the afternoons warm up. Today looks more like November than late August here in the Frozen North. It is dark, raining and very windy. However, socks are more practical than tights for swimming so I definitely made the right choice. The lace trim on this pair reminds me of some little white ankle socks that I had when I was about 5. They had a lace trim and a bow I think, and they had been sent over from Hong Kong by a friend of my mom.

Don't forget you can see extra photos on my Facebook page!

Black and blue dress – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black shrug - New Look
Blue ruffle top – Paul and Joe Sister (free with magazine)
Black socks – River Island
Black patent shoes – Matalan
Silver bling ring – River Island
Blue bangle – Diamonds & Pearls
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Silver hoops – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £71

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing transitional pieces
...reading I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk
...watching Season 10 of Friends on DVD
...listening to Radio 2
...eating chocolate chip cookies
...shopping for nothing

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #69 and an Introduction to Transitional Dressing

With temperatures forecast to be around 16°C or 17°C for most of this week, it is time to start wearing some transitional looks that will be warm enough in the chill of the morning, but layered in case it warms up later. A short sleeve dress with boots and tights is perfect for this. Add a cardi and a scarf and you are cosy enough in the morning air too.

Well I’m motoring through the Shoeper Challenge right now, but these boots are also a recent addition. I paired them with all black to show them off to their fullest advantage.

Black dress – George at ASDA
Black cardi – New Look Tall
Black tank – New Look Tall
Black tights – Silkies
Blue boots – eBay
Black patent belt – Primark
Blue bangle – Diamonds & Pearls
Blue bead bracelet – gifted
White gold cross necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted

Total Est. Cost £77

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #68 and Some New Shoes

I am not helping myself by adding extra shoes to the Shoeper Challenge, but I am confident I will easily wear all my shoes in the year, so I am not too worried about it. These were bought for £36, brand new, on eBay, a bargain when you consider how much they would be full price.

We spent Sunday morning doing chores around the house, and cleaning our cars. After lunch we went for a bike ride to see whether the young man’s parents were in (they weren’t) and through the wood for a few drinks at the local pub. We spent the afternoon outside the pub, happily people watching and commentating on the (lack of) parking skills in the car park.

In the evening my parents came over and we went off to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant to meet my sister and her husband for a meal. It was delicious as always.

Black tank – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Black shrug – New Look
Jeans – South (Very) (gifted)
Grey Lady Dragon Heart shoes – Vivienne Westwood for Melissa (eBay)
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted
Blue bangle – Diamonds and Pearls
Blue bead bracelet – gifted

Total Est. Cost £58

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #67 and a Wardrobe Malfunction

On Saturday we decided to have a day out to make the most of the dwindling summer weather. We headed to the east coast and went to Filey. On arrival we found some public bathrooms and the zip on my jeans decided that would be a good moment to break. Fortunately I was wearing a long enough top that the misdemeanour was covered, but I spent the rest of the day worried I would be flashing my open fly. We had some lunch and then we were going to walk on the beach but the tide had come in. We walked up to the top of the cliff and found a pitch and putt green, and had a game. I lost. By a lot.

After that we had an ice cream then went back down to the sea, and the tide was still in. We found a pub and had a drink, then decided we would head to Whitby to our favourite restaurant there. We had a lovely meal and got chatting to the couple and their granddaughter who were sitting next to us. After we’d eaten we walked up to the Abbey to see the sunset. It stayed warm all day and we had a wonderful time.

Blue top – Dunnes Stores
Blue and white stripe tank – River Island
Jeans – Gap
Yellow flats – Cherokee at Tesco
Silver cross necklace – gifted
Blue bead bracelet – gifted

Total Est. Cost £30

Interview with Shoegal

The lovely Lou of Nearly Thirty interviewed me a couple of weeks back, and you can now read it on her blog.  Click here!

Outfit: Stars and Stripes

Monday and Friday are earlier mornings than the rest of the week as I work at the office the other side of the city those days. It’s still light when I get up at the moment, but it is no longer light enough for outdoor pictures at that time. This is a sure sign that autumn is coming. Speaking of which, I need to crack on with the Shoeper Shoe Challenge as I see a pair of fabric flats and a pair of flip flops lurking on my list of yet to be worn shoes.

I contemplated wearing my new blue boots today but the forecast was for it to be warm (it was 17°C at 7.20am so they got that bit right!) so out came the insane red wedges, so I can get the cost per wear down a bit further before they have to be retired for the autumn/winter season. Of course, it’s now raining and they are about the least practical footwear for rain that I own. All I can do is hope it stops before I take a trip to ASDA at lunchtime, and be thankful that I’m so far off the ground in them, at least they won’t get wet inside at the front from splashes of puddles.

On reflection, I’m not sure what I am wearing today really goes together that well. I think it’s OK, but I could have done better. Some evenings I am just not in the mood for thinking out outfits though so go with whatever seems easiest. I almost switched the cardi for a plain white one, but decided to stick with the stripes.

Black and cream stripe cardi – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Red and white stripe tank – River Island
White tank – Topshop
Jeans – Next Tall (clearance store)
Belt – River Island
Red wedges – River Island
Silver bling ring – River Island
Navy scarf – Dorothy Perkins
Red and cream bangles – gifted
Red glitter bangles – Primark
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £101

Outfit: Thursday

I wanted to wear these shoes today. I’ve not worn them for ages and they’re quite summery so I need to get some more wear out of them whilst I still can. Though they look quite good with black tights too. They match this scarf fairly well so this is a good way to add a but of interest to an otherwise basic outfit.

Black jacket – Long Tall Sally
White t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next Tall (clearance shop)
Pink shoes – Nine West (Debenhams)
Scarf – Vivienne Tam for HP (gifted)
Cream bead bracelets – Diamonds & Pearls
Silver cross necklace – gifted
Silver earrings – gifted

Total Est. Cost £82

CSN Stores

CSN Stores has amazing online stores where you can find everything from cookware to ceiling lights to furniture. As one of their Preferred Bloggers, CSN have kindly offered me a voucher for their site. I am in the market for some new saucepans right now so I will have a good look around their site and once I receive my goodies, I will review them. I am not the greatest of cooks, but I hope that some new cookware will inspire me in the kitchen!

New Boots!

About five years ago I was in Ravel trying on a pair of bright blue knee high suede boots in a size 7. I wear a size 8 but the largest size left in the sale was a 7. I ended up cursing my big feet because of course the 7s did not fit. Over the years I have spied many other similar pairs of boots at ridiculously high prices. Then two weeks ago I came across this pair on eBay. At £19.99 they were not going to be real suede, or top quality, but they came in a size 9 and would suit me fine. Shipping from China took a couple of weeks, but they finally arrived yesterday and they fit perfectly. All I need now is for the temperature to dip enough so I can wear them without sweltering. I don’t think I will have to wait too long.

Goody Simple Styles

Good news hair fans – the Goody Simple Styles range is now available in the UK, at ASDA! I have just bought a pack of Spin Pins and the Modern Updo Maker, the only 2 items that my local store had. I really want the Pony Pouf Clip too, so I will try the ASDA near my office on Friday. Reviews will follow when I figure out how to use them.

And The Winner Is...

Congratulations Amy!

 amy said...
I deserve a pair of new shoes because after being made redundant recently, my budget for new shoes has dropped dramatically! i would love a new pair of killer heels to attend my interviews in! (or to wear around the house while frantically trying to re-do my CV!)

You have just won yourself £60 to spend at Sarenza!

Drop me a line with your email address so I can pass it on to Sarenza for them to email you the voucher.

10% Off at Barratts

Get 10% off at Barratts until 6th September with the code SHOETREAT.

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge #66 and Very.co.uk Boots Review

By adding new shoes to my collection, I am making the Shoeper Challenge harder for myself. However, these were a gift from Very.co.uk and so I wasn’t going to say no to that! You may remember I mentioned a couple of weeks back that I had been offered the chance to pick out a couple of items from Very to review. Well once I’d got my jeans needs sorted, I did what any self-respecting shoe addict would do and headed to the shoe department of the site. These boots fitted the budget I had been set. They are the Love Label Stefan Collar Ankle boot and they are £29. For that price they are obviously not leather.

In reality they don’t look quite as they do on the site– you can see that the turn down is fuller rather than the ruched one shown in the official picture, and as it is stitched either side of the zip there is nothing you can do about that. The boots run small so I would advise ordering up a size if you are going to buy these. I was sent an 8 in error at first and they were definitely a tight squeeze, despite being labelled as EUR 42 (what I would usually call a big 8). I think it’s fantastic that Very stock size 9s though, even if they are on the small side. The heels on the boots are quite high, but there is a little bit of a hidden platform in the sole which helps to compensate for this. My first impressions are that they are pretty comfy, though obviously I wouldn’t attempt to walk a long distance in heels this high.

I feel a bit strange wearing black tights today, but it is overcast and threatening to rain and I pictured these boot with an all black ensemble, so that’s what I did. I will definitely pair them with jeans at some point and I can see them being a versatile addition to my wardrobe this autumn.

Black dress – George at Asda
Black shrug – New Look
Black tights – Silkies
Purple boots – Love Label at Very (gifted)
Silver bling ring – River Island
Purple belt – Ethel Austin
Purple scarf – Ethel Austin
Purple bracelet – Esme-Grace (gifted)
Purple glitter bangles – Diamonds & Pearls
Silver cross necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £60

An Open Letter to Shoe Retailers

Dear Shoe Stores of the World

Please stop putting white stickers on the soles of shoes which are impossible to remove. Us girlies love our shoes and when we buy a new pair, we want to wear them. We don’t want to spend half an hour attempting to pick off a label which appears to have been attached with superglue, wrecking our nails and getting bits of white paper stuck to our fingers in the process.

We understand that the size and composition of the shoe needs to be stated somewhere, but how about using a tag such as the ones used as price tags on clothes? Or just use a less powerful glue? But for goodness sake, please stop using the labels you are using now. Or at least make them black. Because we all know that walking around with the remnants of a white sticker on the sole of your new shoes is not a good look.

Yours faithfully,

Shoegal

Last Chance to Enter!

The Sarenza contest ends at 12 noon UK time tomorrow (Wednesday), so if you want to win £60 to spend on shoes, click here now!

Outfit: Ruby Shoesday

Another Ruby Shoesday has rolled around. I almost switched the skirt for black trousers this morning as I am going swimming this afternoon and thin tights are not the best option for getting dressed again after swimming. But I decided to stick with the skirt, figuring I can always leave the tights off just to drive home. I added the waist coat as an extra layer in case it was chilly out but it wasn’t too bad today. It’s just a bit grey and miserable. This shirt is supposed to be Tall, but the length in the body is decidedly average. The sleeves are OK, but not overly long. But it fits OK so I’ll keep it a bit longer.

Black waist coast – Next Tall
Black shirt – Lee (Luxuriously Tall)
Red cami - New Look
Grey skirt – Next Tall
Red shoes – NOW Discount Shoes (gifted)
Whitby Jet cross – gifted
Red & cream bangles – gifted
Red glitter bangles – Primark
Silver bling ring – River Island
Silver hoops – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £55

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing new shoes and boots
...reading I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk
...watching Friends Season 9
...listening to my MP3 collection
...eating cookies
...shopping for nothing