Outfit: Saturday Fundraising

We had a fundraiser at church this afternoon for the drama group of which I am a member. I’ve been manning the bric-a-brac stall and drinking tea. We made around £500 in all, selling tea & coffee, sandwiches & cakes, books, videos & jigsaws.

Two shots today – I started out in the long grey cardi but decided it was too casual, so I changed into the shrug that I bought yesterday on my shopping trip. This is my first attempt at combining patterns and I think the two lots of stripes worked well together.

Grey slouchy cardi – New Look Tall
Grey & green stripe shrug – TK Maxx
Grey & black stripe top – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Grey faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Turquoise necklace – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £31

Outfit: Casual Friday and Girlie Shopping

No separate outfit shot for last night – that’s the beauty of wearing jeans to work – you can just head straight out to choir practice without changing! I just switched the waistcoat for a sweater as I knew we would be in the actual church last night and that it would be cold! The church choir is my favourite of all my weekly rehearsals. It is a small group of people and we always end up having a laugh about something. The choirmaster is a friend of mine and makes the evenings fun.

So, on to today. My friend and I have taken the afternoon off work and are heading into Leeds for some girly shopping. That means flat boots are a must. I will not be making a habit of wearing my contact lenses for work but as I’m only doing a half day today, I thought I’d make an exception.

Blue t shirt – Levi’s (contest prize from the DCGF)
Black long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Jeans – Gap
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £30.50

Outfit: Distraction Technique

I am being a little rebellious and wearing jeans when it’s not even Friday. My department has 4 women and around 65 men. Many of the lads look extremely scruffy on a daily basis, whether they have on jeans or not. In this outfit I look far smarter than many of them. Also, I have my contact lenses in for the first time in work. The theory is that everyone will be so busy commenting on my lack of glasses (or trying to figure out what is different about me (they’re not the most observant of chaps after all) that they won’t even notice the jeans.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
Black & white stripe shirt – Next
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £59

Outfit: Dance Practice

Another dancing rehearsal for the show last night. I managed to remember some of what we’d learned last week, but it’s men only next week so by 2 weeks time I’m sure the whole thing will have gone to pot again!

Black cardi – Long Tall Sally
Blue & red t shirt – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Jeans – River Island
Red patent flats – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £60

Outfit: Brown

I’m cheating a little with the coloured tights today, but they’re not black so it still counts.

Also: I totally need a hair cut. Roll on next Wednesday!

Brown polo neck – Long Tall Sally
Brown wool check skirt – Next
Brown tights – New Look
Brown cowboy boots – New Look

Total Est. Cost £83

Outfit: Meal At The Pub

We headed to the local pub last night with the young man’s parents for a VERY belated birthday celebration for his dad (his birthday was in August!). The pub serves good home cooked food and is always a good place to go eat.

Black cardi – New Look Tall
Black & silver t – Tall Girls
Jeans – River Island
Purple scarf – Claire’s
Purple flats – Priceless Shoes
Purple belt – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £84

Outfit: Black & Blue Tuesday

I realised I’d not yet worn this dress this year so out it’s come to match with blue tights for coloured tights week.

I love these shoes but they are a little on the high side, even for me! I don’t have to walk far today though so I should be fine in them.

Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black & blue dress – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Blue tights – Accessorize
Black shoes – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £63.50

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing coloured tights
…reading the March issue of US Glamour
…watching the X-Files season 1 (still) – only one more disc to go!
…listening to the compilation CD I made yesterday – it’s very eclectic: everything from Taylor Swift to They Might Be Giants
…eating out at the local pub tomorrow night
…shopping for nothing

Outfit: Pink Tights

A friend of mine at church yesterday had bright pink tights on and that reminded me that I have not worn my pair in a while. In fact, with the exception of purple, I have not worn coloured tights at all in a while. Time to rectify that whilst it is still winter.

This is the first outing for these shoes too. I must have bought them just as it was going into boot weather last autumn.

Black cardi – New Look Tall
Grey check shirt – New Look Tall
Black patent belt – came with shirt
Grey wool skirt – Gap
Pink tights – Jonathan Aston at MyTights.com
Grey shoes – Next (charity shop)

Total Est. Cost £76

Outfit: Sunday Morning Church

I helped out with the Sunday school (or Junior Church as I think we’re supposed to call it at my new church) this morning. There were only 2 children there as it is the end of half term week.

Afterwards I popped to Boots and bought myself a pair of sunglasses. I’ve never had proper non-prescription ones before but decided I need some for driving as it is quite sunny today. I am LOVING my contact lenses, it’s getting a bit easier to get them in now.

Blue sweater – Long Tall Sally
Boyfit jeans – River Island
Leopard print flats – Priceless Shoes
Leopard print scarf – Ethel Austin
Blue necklace – BHS

Total Est. Cost £81

Outfit: Saturday Night Out

We are heading up to TGI Friday to meet some friends for a meal shortly. It is not where I would have chosen to go as I think the food there is fairly mediocre, but I’ll live with it. At least I’ll be able to have a cheeky cocktail or two.

This is totally my favourite pair of jeans at the moment.

Black shrug – New Look
Black ‘High Maintenance’ t – Tall Girls
Jeans – River Island
Silver flats – Faith
Black heart necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £87

Outfit: Saturday

My hair needs cutting, but I don’t have an appointment until a week on Wednesday. So rather than bemoaning that (too much), I will instead focus on the fact that it is now long enough to wear up and enjoy that for a week or so.

We have no water at the moment as the young man is replacing the washers in the kitchen taps. Once he’s done with that I am going to make some soup for dinner, clean the bathroom and put some washing on.

Blue t – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Red long sleeve t – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Next (charity shop)
Black faux suede OTK boots – Matalan
Black leather belt – local boutique

Total Est. Cost £51.50

Outfit: Girls’ Night Out!

Friday night I headed into the city to meet a couple of friends for drinks. We’d not seen each other for ages so the night was spent catching up and gossiping – so much so that my friend missed her train home! I was lucky as the young man had offered to drive in and pick me up. Just as well really, I wouldn’t fancy being in my local station late at night, it’s a bit of a dive.

Blue cardi (worn as shrug) – Ethel Austin
Blue cami – New Look Tall
Jeans – River Island
Blue satin flats – Priceless Shoes
Blue glitter belt (on jeans) – H&M

Blue heart necklace - Scope

Blue bangles - Oxfam

Silver bangles - Scope/DP/Accessorize

Total Est Cost £65

Outfit: New Scarf & New T

Friday at last! There are a few inspirations behind this outfit. First up: Carrie Bradshaw. In season 6 she wears a blazer over a Mickey Mouse t shirt when she takes Berger to meet the girls. Secondly: Kasmira. I am quietly coveting her fabulous bright blue suede booties. They add a pop of colour everytime she wears them. My purple ones are just about as bright and have the same effect. Thirdly: the purple scarf. When I was planning this outfit in my head, I was going to put my red shoes with it. I have started wearing purple quite a lot recently and had been thinking for a while that I could do with a purple scarf. I took a trip to the mall last night and spied the one I have on for £3.50 in Claire’s.

I’ve flipped the pictures today so that the writing on my t shirt is more visible.

Black jacket – Long Tall Sally
Black cardi (beneath jacket) – New Look Tall
White ‘Tall’ t – Café Press
Long & Lean jeans – Gap
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Black leather belt – Crete
Purple scarf – Claire’s

Total Est. Cost £106.50

Shapewear

Shapewear, Spanx, granny pants, sucker knickers. Yes ladies, call them what you will (sucker knickers is my favourite, it’s what my friend C refers to them as), every girl needs a pair to smooth you out under dresses, hide muffin tops under jeans, and just generally make you look better in your clothes. I have never tried Spanx and I am sure they are great, but the best ones I have found by far, are by George at Asda (and I have tried Marks & Spencer’s version – not a patch of the George ones). They do several kinds, ranging from big pants to shorts that extend up your body and down your legs. The ones I have are long in the body, but regular ‘pant shape’ on the legs (like a low leg swimsuit). They cost just £8 and wear after wear, wash after wash, they have kept their elasticity and shape. I throw them in the washing machine and the tumble dryer and they come out fine. I feel like I have a corset on when wearing them and my waist feels tiny, which is a great confidence booster. I would definitely recommend you to try them out if you are looking for some shapewear underwear without breaking the bank on price or skimping on quality.

Outfit: Lazy Thursday

This is a very lazy outfit today. I was back late from rehearsal last night and didn’t have the time or energy to come up with anything more creative. And I managed to oversleep this morning so I was very glad that I had a very easy outfit – just jeans and a sweater, effectively, to pull on. The scarf and shoes pep it up a bit, but at least I am comfortable when I’m at work rather than still being asleep which is where I’d rather be!

Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Brown cord trousers – Tall Girls
Leopard print flats – Priceless Shoes (eBay)
Leopard print scarf – Ethel Austin

Total Est. Cost £57

Outfit: Dance Rehearsal

Well it’s finally time to bring out my dancing shoes again – the first dancing rehearsal for the local musical drama group is tonight. I am wearing my lenses for the first time in public tonight too.

Grey cardi – New Look Tall
White ‘Tall?’ cami – Café Press
Jeans – Gap
Leopard print flats – Priceless shoes

Total Est. Cost £43

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

George at Asda In-Between Size Jeans

This has already been widely reported in the blogosphere, but I thought I’d add my two cents anyway. I was in Asda last week and it was undeniably strange to see sizes 11, 13 & 15 on the hangers in the jeans section. I think this is a terrive idea and I wonder why it has taken so long for clothing manufacturers to catch on. There are countless times when my sister and I have been frustrated in the changing rooms, declaring “I’m a size 13! Why don’t they make in-between sizes in clothes?!” The ‘odd’ sizes are currently only available in the standard length bootcut jeans (for the bargain price of £12) so sadly I will be unable to participate at present – given that regular length jeans are pretty much cropped length on me, but hopefully if this is a successful venture we could see ‘odd’ sizes being rolled out across the George range, and perhaps one day, other stores will pick up on the idea too.

Outfit: Black & Brown

It used to be a huge fashion faux pas to mix black & brown. Oh how times change. Today it is a perfectly acceptable combination. I was looking through my blog archives yesterday (I like to look back at what I was wearing this time last year) and saw that I bought these boots about a year ago. I’ve not worn them for a while so thought I would build today’s outfit around them.

Brown stripe dress – eBay
Black polo neck sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black leggings – New Look Tall
Black & brown boots – ASOS

Total Est. Cost £63

Review: Café Press

You may remember that I posted these two tops as ‘Wants’ back in January. Well, after a day’s deliberation, I caved in and ordered them from Café Press. The tops are American Apparel ones so if you are familiar with that brand you will know what the fit and quality is like. I am not familiar with AA. I ordered a size Large which the site said would fit a UK 12-14 but warned the sizes run small. I am happy to say that both tops fit me perfectly and the length is really good – I had thought I might need to layer a longer t underneath. Delivery was promised between 13th February and 19th February: my parcel was delivered yesterday. Unfortunately, I miscalculated the threshold for customs charges (thanks for not being helpful, HMRC website!) and had to go to the delivery office to pay the excess. There is, however, a shipping option on the Café Press website that includes the customs charges and I will be sure to select that one next time.

I would definitely order from Café Press again – there are thousands of options available whatever you are into – slogans, pictures, etc.

Outfit: Tuesday

I’ve not worn a dress in ages (it’s been too cold with all the snow) so I decided to pull one out for today.

Black & cream stripe dress – charity shop
Purple long sleeve t – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Purple tights – New Look
Purple mock croc belt – Ethel Austin
Black & cream shoes – Next (charity shop)
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £23

Outfit: Shades Of Purple

This is called ‘How many shades of purple can you get into one outfit?’ Well, if you count my nail polish and eyeliner, the answer is 7! I was all layered up, ready to head to choir practice in the cold church.

Lilac cardi with faux fur collar – Pilot Outlet
Black/white/purple check shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Lilac cami – New Look
Jeans – Gap
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £58

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing heels again
…reading the March issue of UK Elle
…watching the X-Files season 1 (still) – only one more disc to go!
…listening to Kylie’s ‘Your Disco Needs You’ as it’s stuck in my head on a loop
…eating in every night I think – been a few weeks since that happened
…shopping on eBay

Outfit: Checked Monday

So another Monday morning rolls around and it’s always a struggle to get out of bed. Fortunately it is half term this week and so the traffic is much lighter. Also the temporary traffic lights on the main road near work have gone so that means no queuing there either.

I decided to match my outfit to my dark purple nail varnish today.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
Black, white & purple check shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Lilac cami – New Look
Black cord trousers – Topshop Tall
Purple faux suede booties – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £86

Weekend eBaying

I had money in my Paypal account and couldn’t resist spending it on a few eBay items. Lots of exciting post for me to look forward to this week now! (The trousers are pyjamas before you all comment and say they are hideous!)

Outfit: Sunday Morning and Afternoon

I got got up in reasonable time this morning and went to church.

Brown cardi – Luxuriously Tall
Teal long sleeve t – H&M
Jeans – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Teal wedges – Matalan
Teal necklace – Scope

Total Est. Cost £49

This afternoon I have my lenses in again and have done an at home mani/pedi with Maybelline Extreme Blackcurrant.

I will probably continue to harp on about my lenses for a while yet as they are a total novelty to me. I have worn glasses since I was 8 years old and up until last week, I had no idea what my face looked like without glasses. They are as much a part of me as my nose. I didn’t know what my face looks like because to be far enough away from the mirror that my whole face is visible means that I am too far away to be able to see clearly. Yes, I am THAT blind. I am a minus 10 in one eye and minus 9 with an astigmatism in the other eye. So you see, having contact lenses is a revolution to me, even if I am still struggling a little to get them in and out.

Jeans – Gap
Brown slippers – Ethel Austin
Red hair band – Tesco