My blog turns 8 today!
Thank you all for continuing to read and comment, your support means a lot to me. Here's to another year!
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Thursday, July 31, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Outfit: Denim and Stripes With A Twist of Orange
We are finally all moved into the new office so I’m back in skirts and heels. I paired my favourite combination of a denim skirt with a striped top and added an orange blazer for an unexpected twist and because the air conditioning isn’t fully settled yet so it can get chilly.
The outdoor temperatures have cooled off a bit this week but it’s still warm – just the way summer should be. Chris Evans said on the radio the other morning that the heat wave was in full swing now, and I said (yes, I talk to the radio. Don’t you?) this isn’t a heat wave, it’s just summer. We’ve forgotten what summer is supposed to be like as we’ve not had a proper one for the past seven years.
Blue and white stripe top – Zara (sale)
Denim skirt – Jasper Conran (Debenhams, sale)
Orange blazer – c/o TM Lewin
Navy patent wedges – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza)
Navy heart necklace – Scope
Beads – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted
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Friday, July 25, 2014
Outfit: How To Wear Shorts For Work
I have long been of the opinion that wearing shorts is not much different to wearing a skirt, with far less risk of flashing your undergarments. So, as long as the dress code is Business Casual, you absolutely can wear shorts to the office. However, there are a number of rules (or guidelines, if you prefer) that you should stick to.
1. Make sure the shorts are an appropriate length. If you wouldn't wear a mini skirt to work don't wear very short shorts either. A pair that are just above the knee, like the ones I have on in these pictures is ideal.
2. Keep the rest of the outfit on the smarter side. Were it not so hot in the UK right now I probably would have added a jacket to this ensemble. However, we are in the middle of a heat wave so a white shirt will have to do.
3. Wear closed toe shoes. Shorts and flip flops or casual sandals say 'day at the beach'. Look like you mean business with your footwear. Were I not spending the day packing boxes in preparation for an office move I would have worn heels. But I was so I didn't.
4. No denim. Even if it is fine to wear a denim skirt in your workplace, denim shorts are not appropriate.
What do you think though? Have you ever worn shorts to the office?
White shirt - Long Tall Sally
Black shorts - Long Tall Sally
Red suede shoes - Jones Bootmaker (sale)
Silver hoops - gifted
Red beads - eBay
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Outfit: Dress and Denim Jacket
It’s hot in the UK at the moment. And we are packing up the office at work to move buildings for the third time in as many years. I wore trousers on Monday as I thought they would be practical, but it turned out they were just hot so a dress was a better choice today. This dress is really just a long t shirt anyway and it’s thin despite having long sleeves.
Black and white striped dress – River Island
White shoes – Priceless Shoes
Denim jacket – Warehouse (charity shop)
Silver hoops – gifted
Necklace and bangles – Scope
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Friday, July 18, 2014
Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2013/14 Save 83 | Summer Shoes
I wasn’t planning on doing any more outfit posts this week, but then on Wednesday I went and saved a pair of shoes didn’t I? So I had to post them or it wouldn’t count.
These shoes are the epitome of summer. I mean, when else can you wear white shoes but for those few, short weeks between June and August? These shoes were actually purchased for the show a few (six?) years back when all the ladies chorus had to have white flats. They were all of £8 in Priceless Shoes and, at the time, I had the same shoes in silver. I love that the strap is optional and can be fastened around the back like those shoes you had when you were a kid and thought you were so grown up making your shoes into slip ons, even though your mother had made you promise you would never wear them like that.
So that’s another pair down and just two more to save.
Blue dress – Wallis (charity shop)
White bandeau – New Look
White shoes – Priceless Shoes
Silver glitter belt – local boutique
Silver hoops – gifted
Blue necklace – New Look
Blue bangle – Diamonds and Pearls
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Thursday, July 17, 2014
Outfit: How to Mix Bright Colours and Pastels
Happy Thursday everyone! This outfit is from Tuesday this week – I’m behind on my posting and I don’t even care!
There’s really not much how-to about mixing brights and pastels. In the words of that famous sportswear brand: Just Do It! Choose a bright and a pastel that play well off each other (I like how the orange pops against the mint) and go with it. I only hit on this combination as I needed a bandeau under my top as it’s too low cut for work. I was going to go with white or black and white stripes, but my shoes are cream and I am anal about not putting white with cream so I picked out my orange bandeau instead. I have a bright turquoise one that I might try next time. From there it was a no-brainer to add the orange jacket.
When your outfit is this colourful it might be wise (but not mandatory) to stick to neutral shoes as I’ve done here. Black and cream is a classic combination and let me add black bangles and a black-toned necklace to finish off the look.
Orange jacket – c/o TM Lewin
Mint top – Jasper Conran (charity shop)
Orange bandeau – New Look
Mint jeans – Primark (eBay)
Cream and black shoes – Matalan
Necklace – Scope
Bangles – Scope
Silver hoops – gifted
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Outfit: Sunny Sunday in Shorts
Did everyone have a good weekend? I hope it was as hot and sunny where you were as it was with me. Saturday was spent at home, mostly, catching up on sleep, chores and lazing in the garden. I did a bunch of cooking/baking/making ice cream and took a short cycle ride to the local town for a few groceries.
Sunday was equally good weather-wise so I headed into the city and took a walk along the riverside which is an area I don’t ever go to. It was lovely, there are so many things in Leeds that you don’t see if you just stick to the shopping areas.
Flowers in Millennium Square (I go through there all the time, I just thought they were pretty)
Down by the riverside
I wonder how long this chap has been trying to push this silver ball into Clarence Dock?
Barges in Clarence Dock (or New Dock as they're trying to rename it)
This is right in the middle of the city, I swear
I wore shorts all weekend as we hardly ever get the weather to do that, and who wants to be cooped up in jeans when it’s 24°C out? On Sunday I covered up with a ¾ sleeve top and wore my Converse pumps as I knew I would be doing a lot of walking.
I took pictures outside again since it was such a lovely day. The only problem with that though? The wind doing crazy things to my hair!
Blue and white stripe top – Zara
Denim shorts – George at ASDA
Converse pumps – c/o Sarenza
Silver hoops – gifted
Blue bangle – Diamonds and Pearls
Sunglasses – Amazon
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Monday, July 14, 2014
My Favourite Tall Fashion Sites
When you are tall people will often say ‘oh I wish I were as tall as you’, or ‘how lovely to be so tall’. To which I respond – ‘yes, until you have to try buying trousers – there’s one high street shop near me that I can get trousers long enough’ (Topshop). Don’t get me wrong, I do like my height but shopping for clothes can sometimes be a nightmare. Thank goodness, then, for the internet.
The internet not only lets you buy things that are not necessarily stocked in the bricks and mortar stores (Next, New Look, I’m looking at you) but it also gives you access to those stores you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. Since my local branch of Long Tall Sally closed down in 2005 I am stuck with either driving to York or Manchester to visit an actual store, or relying on their website. Which is fine, but sometimes you just want to be able to buy something in a shop.
However, one advantage of online shopping is that you can shop from stores located overseas. One site that has long been on my radar is Long Elegant Legs. The good news is that they ship to the UK and I love the huge range of items on their website. For example, their tall tops all come in several different colours and look how long the sleeves are!
Their jeans all have a 36” inseam too.
Gap have also started shipping to the UK from their US website. The UK site has some tall options on it, but at the moment it’s mostly short sleeved t shirts and cropped pants. We don’t need specifically cropped pants thanks, regular length ones will be cropped on us tall girls! The US site also gives you access to Old Navy’s tall sizes too which is awesome.
So, tall ladies, if the UK’s high street isn’t meeting your needs have a look online where there is so much more choice to be found.
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The internet not only lets you buy things that are not necessarily stocked in the bricks and mortar stores (Next, New Look, I’m looking at you) but it also gives you access to those stores you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. Since my local branch of Long Tall Sally closed down in 2005 I am stuck with either driving to York or Manchester to visit an actual store, or relying on their website. Which is fine, but sometimes you just want to be able to buy something in a shop.
However, one advantage of online shopping is that you can shop from stores located overseas. One site that has long been on my radar is Long Elegant Legs. The good news is that they ship to the UK and I love the huge range of items on their website. For example, their tall tops all come in several different colours and look how long the sleeves are!
Their jeans all have a 36” inseam too.
Gap have also started shipping to the UK from their US website. The UK site has some tall options on it, but at the moment it’s mostly short sleeved t shirts and cropped pants. We don’t need specifically cropped pants thanks, regular length ones will be cropped on us tall girls! The US site also gives you access to Old Navy’s tall sizes too which is awesome.
So, tall ladies, if the UK’s high street isn’t meeting your needs have a look online where there is so much more choice to be found.
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Sunday, July 13, 2014
This Week...
It’s been a while since I did one of these posts but they’re back!
This week I want to talk about WeightWatcherGirl1 You Tube channel. I have started tracking Weight Watchers points again recently, albeit on the Filling and Healthy plan so I only have to keep track of non-F&H items. I was hunting around on You Tube for WW inspiration and came across this lady’s channel. She’s American so I think the points system might be a little different but she has lost 160lbs (over 11 stone!) and is an inspiration. I have never gone to a WW meeting, I’ve always used the online version, but her some of her videos are what I imagine a WW meeting talk might be like.
She films recipes, meal ideas and also shows lots of WW-friendly products from the supermarket. Obviously as she is in the US a lot of these items are not available in the UK, but it’s interesting to see what’s out there. There seems to be a much bigger range of WW own-brand products in the US too.
So check her out if you’re into Weight Watchers, and she also has a blog, here.
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Thursday, July 10, 2014
Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2013/14 Save 82 | Teal
I have worn these sandals many, many times this summer so far but I don’t seem to have included them in an outfit post in order to save them. They are from New Look and were bought several years ago to replace a very similar pair which had broken. They are as comfortable and easy to wear as flip flops but I think they’re just a little bit smarter than flip flops. They cost me all of about £12 I think.
Thursday’s outfit was quite teal. The forecast was for more good weather and it arrived as promised. I had been considering wearing trousers but it seemed a shame to waste a sunny day with my legs covered.
The shrug is from Long Tall Sally and was purchased many years ago in the sale for less than £10 if I remember correctly. It is really useful as a light cover up when I need to cover my shoulders but don’t want an actual extra layer. The fine cotton knit makes it light weight and easy to wear.
Teal shrug – Long Tall Sally (sale)
White tank – Zara (sale)
Teal skirt – H&M
Pewter jewelled sandals – New Look
Teal necklace – Scope
Silver hoops – gifted
Sunglasses – Amazon
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Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Outfit: Striped Top, Denim Skirt
Another day, another outfit featuring stripes and denim, two of my favourite things! How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was good, as you will see from the post below. On Sunday I got out on my bike for an hour or so. I’m trying to get back into cycling after a break from it since last autumn and I’ve put a new (to me) app on my phone called Strava that records your route using GPS. It shows you a map of where you’ve been, the distance, the highest elevation you’ve climbed, how long you’ve been moving and even tells you the (approximate) calories you’ve burned if you enter your weight. All this, and it’s free! It also records runs so will be useful when we go walking too.
The weather has been pretty good recently but the air conditioning in the office can make it a bit nippy, so a light sweater is ideal for work wear. This one that I got c/o TM Lewin a couple of months back is super flattering as it fits perfectly in the body (the sleeves are a little short but then I’m super tall so what can I do?) and the arrangement of the stripes makes your waist look tiny. I’m loving full skirt right now and the box pleats on this denim one give it plenty of movement. Finally I have on my favourite LK Bennett heels – truly the most comfortable heels I own.
I hope you are all having a great week. Have you discovered any new apps recently that I should know about?
Black and white stripe sweater – c/o TM Lewin
Denim skirt – Jasper Conran (Debenhams, sale)
Burgundy shoes – LK Bennett (c/o Sarenza)
Silver hoops – gifted
Red beads – eBay
Black and white bangles – Scope
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Sunday, July 06, 2014
The Tour de France Comes To Yorkshire
July 5th 2014 was a long anticipated day in these parts. Around a year and a half ago Yorkshire was chosen as the location for the Grande Depart for 2014’s Tour de France. On Saturday that day finally arrived, and I went to Otley to watch the Tour passing through with some of my family.
We decided that the front of the Methodist Church would be a good place to stand as not only are there several walls and steps on which to stand to get a better view, but also the church was serving tea, cakes, sandwiches etc for the duration of the event.
For a long time nothing happened and then the first of the support vehicles whizzed past. I say whizzed – the whole of the publicity caravan (as the pre-race parade is called) shot past at about 40mph, making it difficult to see what was going on (and explaining the quality of my photographs!).
I was a bit disappointed with this, as I had expected more of a slow-moving, carnival type procession. It took away from the atmosphere somewhat that everything went so fast. However, the various sponsors were throwing things from their vehicles – sweets, keychains, snap-band bracelets, the usual marketing items – which seemed to keep the crowd happy.
Otley’s entrepreneurs were hard at work: a chap from one of the butchers’ shops was walking along with a tray selling hot pork pies, some people from the Corner Cafe had a tray of sandwiches for sale, and this guy was advertising the Shake Shack.
The best view in town?
There was a couple of hours between the publicity caravan and the actual race, so we adjourned inside for refreshments. The church had set up a big screen in the foyer so it was easy to see where the bikes were at all times, and once they left Harewood House the excitement began to build.
And then in the blink of an eye the cyclists went past.
Followed by the spare bikes, of which there were many. Maybe 30 cars like this one.
And then it was all over and time to go home.
This has been an awesome event for Yorkshire to be part of, and will have really boosted the economy of the region. Yorkshire Water is doing its bit for the region this year too, by creating a Blueprint for Yorkshire. As one of the largest landowners in Yorkshire they are working on improving access for residents and visitors; and are mapping out the various walks and leisure activities that can be enjoyed in the region. We have such a diverse county up here – from the bright lights of Leeds to the smaller market towns such as Otley, and the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, it’s well worth a visit.
This post is sponsored by Yorkshire Water.
Thanks go to my little sister for taking some of the photos whilst I was holding my niece.
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We decided that the front of the Methodist Church would be a good place to stand as not only are there several walls and steps on which to stand to get a better view, but also the church was serving tea, cakes, sandwiches etc for the duration of the event.
For a long time nothing happened and then the first of the support vehicles whizzed past. I say whizzed – the whole of the publicity caravan (as the pre-race parade is called) shot past at about 40mph, making it difficult to see what was going on (and explaining the quality of my photographs!).
I was a bit disappointed with this, as I had expected more of a slow-moving, carnival type procession. It took away from the atmosphere somewhat that everything went so fast. However, the various sponsors were throwing things from their vehicles – sweets, keychains, snap-band bracelets, the usual marketing items – which seemed to keep the crowd happy.
Otley’s entrepreneurs were hard at work: a chap from one of the butchers’ shops was walking along with a tray selling hot pork pies, some people from the Corner Cafe had a tray of sandwiches for sale, and this guy was advertising the Shake Shack.
The best view in town?
There was a couple of hours between the publicity caravan and the actual race, so we adjourned inside for refreshments. The church had set up a big screen in the foyer so it was easy to see where the bikes were at all times, and once they left Harewood House the excitement began to build.
And then in the blink of an eye the cyclists went past.
Followed by the spare bikes, of which there were many. Maybe 30 cars like this one.
And then it was all over and time to go home.
This has been an awesome event for Yorkshire to be part of, and will have really boosted the economy of the region. Yorkshire Water is doing its bit for the region this year too, by creating a Blueprint for Yorkshire. As one of the largest landowners in Yorkshire they are working on improving access for residents and visitors; and are mapping out the various walks and leisure activities that can be enjoyed in the region. We have such a diverse county up here – from the bright lights of Leeds to the smaller market towns such as Otley, and the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, it’s well worth a visit.
This post is sponsored by Yorkshire Water.
Thanks go to my little sister for taking some of the photos whilst I was holding my niece.
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