Packing

Given that I am often so meticulous in planning my outfits, you’d think that I’d love packing. It’s just planning a whole load of outfits in one go, right? Wrong. I hate packing. Hate it with a vengeance. For a start, how am I supposed to know what I will feel like wearing several days in advance? Let alone what the whimsical weather will be doing. Sometimes I take the time to write out actual planned outfits. Often times? Not so much. This time I have taken the approach of just throwing in a load of items that will all co-ordinate with each other and hoping for the best. I’ll report back next week as to whether that works or not!

So, why am I packing? Well, we’ve finally got ourselves in gear and booked a few days away in London. And then we’re heading to Bournemouth for the weekend with some friends. There are posts scheduled for the rest of the week so you’ll still have something to read, and I’ll catch up with outfit posts when I get back.

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing jeans again – still on holiday from work
…reading the September issues of US In Style & Lucky, if they ever make it to my local Borders store
…watching season 2 of The Flying Doctors
…listening to CDs in the car whilst driving to London & Bournemouth
…eating out in London & Bournemouth
…shopping in London & Bournemouth

Fall

I am ready for fall now. I long for crisp autumn days when the sky is blue but the air is chilled. I long to wear boots and coats; coloured tights and roll neck sweaters. I long for nights when you can curl up on the couch in a cosy sweater, with a mug of tea and roaring fire. I long for scarves, hats, gloves. Yes, I am ready for fall.

Outfit: Sunday

I’ve had a lazy morning whilst the young man put grout sealant on the tiles in the bathroom. I’m not sure whether we will end up doing anything this afternoon. If not, I might make some flapjack.

Cream cardi/shrug – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Grey top – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Jeans – River Island
Grey boots – Priceless Shoes (gifted)
Red belt – Next
Red & cream bangles – gifted
Red beads – eBay
Scarf – charity shop

Total Est. Cost £53.50

Outfit: Saturday

It’s very windy here today. I did some chores this morning – washing & cleaned the bathroom, then headed out to run some errands for the young man. He is still fitting windows so he sent me out for more putty.

I am doing some very subtle pattern mixing today. Leopard print and stripes. Perhaps I’ll go for something bolder tomorrow.

This red vest top is one of the oldest items of clothing I own. I bought it in the summer of 1998. Up until that summer I had not owned any vest tops at all. I remember I bought 2 whilst on holiday in Swanage and then a further 2 when I got home. It has survived well and the colour has not faded much as I always wash & dry tops inside out.

Black & cream stripe cardi – Topshop Tall (eBay)
Red cami – New Look
Jeans – River Island (eBay)
Leopard print flats – Priceless Shoes (eBay)
Red beads – eBay
Red & cream bangles – gifted

Total Est. Cost £32

Review: Tights Please

It’s almost the end of August and we all know what that means. It’s almost time for tights and boots! Three words that fill me with untold excitement. Tights Please contacted me last week and sent me a couple of sample products to review for them. I received some 60 denier tights in Chocolate by Charnos (pictured top), and some Cette 55 Denier – Satin, in petrol blue (pictured in grey). Neither of these are brands I have tried before and although I am yet to wear them (it’s not quite cool enough out yet – perhaps next week) the quality feels very good. I also ordered a pair of Pamela Mann tartan tights which I am very excited to wear. Tights Please have free UK shipping on all orders and my order was dispatched the day after I placed it – even though I had ordered in the evening. Whatever kind of tights you require, Tights Please are sure to have something suitable so take a look at their site.

Thrift Loot

These are the scarves I found today, exactly what I was looking for! They cost between £1.50 and £3.99. I think I have been on the lookout for this style scarf since I took part in Kimberley’s Travelling Scarf project a couple of months back.

I also scored a belt for £2.99.

Outfit: Thrifty Friday

The young man is fitting new window panes in our house today, so I went over to see my friend in her new flat this morning. Then I called in on my sister for lunch. In the afternoon I headed over to my hometown to search out some thrifted square scarves. The charity shops there never let me down and I have found 3 different scarves. Then I called in on my parents for a cup of tea before heading home.

Purple tank – Long Tall Sally
White top – Tall Girls
Jeans – River Island
Purple boots – Priceless Shoes
Purple necklace – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £87

Outfit: Bronte Thursday

We went to Haworth yesterday and had a look around the Bronte Parsonage Museum and the church. We had a lovely lunch in a pub in the village and a walk through the park. Then we headed over to Hebden Bridge for the rest of the afternoon. The young man’s dad was in hospital yesterday for a routine operation and so we went to visit him in the evening.

Black waistcoat – Next Tall
White top – Tall Girls
Jeans – River Island
Brown cowboy boots – New Look
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £100

Shoe Modification

Remember those Hoss Intropia shoes I was sent? Well, I decided I probably wasn’t going to wear them as they were. So, with a few snips the balls have been removed and I’ve added a leopard print bow shoe clip that I bought on Etsy. I used a piece of the dark green suede from the balls to plug the peep toe holes too, as they were in such an awkward place for the shape of my feet. Ten minutes work and what a transformation!

I love the shoe clips and they will work with loads of my other shoes too. And I am on the look out for some alternative clips to use with this pair of shoes. I want some large jewelled ones I think so if anyone knows where I could find some, let me know!

Shoegal Flashback!

What I was wearing this time last year

Oh yes, new dress!

Teal dress – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black shrug – unknown
Black obi belt – ASOS
Black tights – Silkies
Leopard shoes – New Look (eBay)
Silver cross necklace – gift from my little sister
Teal & silver bangles – Accessorize

Total Est. Cost £54

Why I Love: My New Look Cowboy Boots

I bought these boots about a year ago now and have worn them countless times. My thinking was that I wanted something comfortable to wear on my trip to New York last autumn, which wasn’t trainers. I did indeed wear these boots for much of the trip and they were very comfy. I love that they go great with jeans and the pointed toe poking out from underneath flares looks stylish. But they also work with skirts and even summer dresses (as proved by last Thursday’s outfit). Such a versatile item of footwear! A few years back cowboy boots were seen as a very fashionable item, certainly in the UK. But now they have become something of a classic staple, possibly something they have always been in the US. And that, I believe, is their rightful place in fashion history.

Outfit: Wet Wednesday

The forecast was for rain today so I put on boots. It rained on & off but I managed to dodge it whilst I was out running errands. I went to Tesco this morning & to drop some things in at the charity shop. This afternoon the young man & I had a walk to the local carpet shop to look for new lino for the bathroom floor, then walked up to his parents’ house. They weren’t in so we walked home again and not five minutes later his dad’s car pulled up on our drive!

Purple/white/black plaid shirt – Dorothy Perkins Tall
Purple tank – New Look Tall
Jeans – Gap
Purple boots – Priceless Shoes
Purple flower necklace – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £53

Review: Clinique Lash Power Mascara

As I mentioned last week, there was a sample of this mascara in the latest Bonus Time gift from Clinique. I have been using it for a few days and I am pretty impressed. It lengths and separates the lashes perfectly, and looks great on. Clinique say:

“Vows to look pretty for 24 hours without a smudge or smear. One stroke and these pretty lashes last through rain, sweat, humidity, tears. Yet the formula removes easily with warm water.”

This mascara certainly stays put well. So well in fact that it takes a LOT of cleaning off. I used wipes, eye make up remover and warm water, all to no more avail than getting bits of black all over the upper part of my face. I would definitely recommend removing this in the shower to save yourself scrubbing at the delicate skin around your eyes.

Other than that, this mascara does its job well and the tiny narrow brush makes it really easy to apply.

Buy it at Clinque online or at larger Boots stores.

Outfit: Tuesday

Today we went to Fountains Abbey, a ruined monasty in North Yorkshire. We had a walk round there and then went down to Knaresborough for lunch. It rained again in Knaresborough, but we still managed a walk down the cliff side to the river. I started out in sandals but had put blue suede trainers in the car and changed into those when we got to Fountains Abbey.

Blue cardi – Dorothy Perkins
White ‘Leggy Bird’ t – New Look Tall
Jeans – River Island
Pewter sandals – Dorothy Perkins

Total Est. Cost £84

Outfit: Monday at the Seaside

We headed to Whitby on Monday for the last day of the Regatta. I was promised rain so put on my cowboy boots, and rain we got! We stopped off in Helmsley, Kirbymoorside and Pickering on the wat there and the weather was good. By the time we got to Whitby though, the clouds were gathering and we got a shower or two. We had a wander round, and a drink in a hotel bar, and then had fish & chips for tea. There was a firework display to round off the Regatta and we decided to watch this up by the Abbey. We spent an hour up there, freezing (I was very glad I had my leather jacket and leopard print scarf with me), waiting for it to begin, but once it did, it was spectacular! The fireworks were released from the jetty over the harbour.

On the way home it seemed like something was conspiring against us. First the A64 was shut, with the diversion sending us halfway around York, and then the M1 was shut. I would not have been at all surprised if one of the local roads near our house was closed too, but all was well in the end and we arrived home around half past midnight.

Black cardi – New Look Tall
Black ‘Betty Boop’ t – Dorothy Perkins
Jeans – River Island
Brown cowboy boots – New Look
Red belt – Next
Red beads – eBay

Total Est. Cost £115

20% off at Faith!

From tomorrow until Tuesday!

Terms and Conditions:
20% off full price items
Not valid in conjunction with any other offer
Valid in Faith branches and concessions and at www.faith.co.uk
No code needed, prices will be reduced
Valid online from Wednesday 26th August until Monday 31st August
Valid in Faith branches and concessions from Wednesday 26th August until Tuesday 1st September

Shoegal Flashback!

What I was wearing this time last year

Black top – Tall Girls (eBay)
Jeans – Gap
Red boots – Nine West (Century 21)
Red beads – eBay
Red glitter bangles – Primark

Total Est. Cost £88

This Week I Will Be Mostly…

…wearing jeans
…reading the September issue of Elle magazine
…watching season 2 of The Flying Doctors
…listening to Les Misérables
…eating out, maybe
…shopping for nothing

Review: Hoss Intropia Shoes

I was contacted by Shudoo last week and offered a free pair of Hoss Intropia shoes. I had heard of this brand but I didn’t know anything about the shoes they produce. I was directed to Shudoo’s website where I discovered that there is something very Irregular Choice about Hoss Intropia. As all the items were in the sale sizes were limited, but I picked out this pair of turquoise flats. I am not so sure about the balls on the front of the shoe, nor am I sure of the point of the peep toe (it’s so small you can’t even see a flash of nail polish through it), but I love the colour of the beautiful turquoise suede. I have an idea in mind for an outfit to pair them with, but sadly the threat of rain last week deterred me from wearing them. They will definitely get an outing soon.

The regular price of these shoes is £140 (sale price £40, so there are some definite bargains to be had!) so I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to try out this brand.

Click here to shop Hoss Intropia sale shoes.

Outfit: Saturday Night & Sunday

Saturday night we headed over to my sister’s house and enjoyed a buffet tea and several games of UNO Extreme.

Sunday morning the young man & I got up and went to church. Because I am lazy I put on the same outfit as Saturday night. After church the church choir plue partners headed to the bowling green at the local park for a picnic lunch and some games of crown green bowling. I was not sure what to expect really as I’ve never played before, but thought it might be a laugh. Well, we had a great time. The weather was warm and dry (and sunny at some points), there was tea & cakes in the clubhouse and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Grey dress – Primark (eBay)
White cami – charity shop
Jeans – Topshop Tall
Pewter sandals – Dorothy Perkins
Silver bangles – Scope

Total Est. Cost £47

Outfit: Saturday

I went into the local town today on a quest for heel grips (as I couldn’t get them at either Boots or Morrison’s earlier in the week). I found some in Superdrug today.

This afternoon the young man’s mum, sister & niece are coming to visit, then we are headed over to my sister’s for a buffet tea with my parents.

Blue cardi – Dorothy Perkins
Red cami – New Look
Jeans – Gap
Red flats – Matalan

Total Est. Cost £43