Lace dress from Oasis.

I meant to post this last week, but I was in India for the week and didn’t manage to get round to posting it…I’m not sure that the Wi-Fi in the hotel would have coped any way.  I'll tell you about India in another post, there’s lots to share with you so watch this space…

I love wearing dresses, don’t you?  They’re so comfortable and super easy to wear.  You don’t have to think about what to put with what, you just put the dress on and you’re ready to go.  This black dress is something I bought at the beginning of last season and I’ve worn it loads.  It’s a great one for dressing up and down – I’d definitely call it one of my wardrobe staples.

When I was pulling together the looks I was amazed at how many combinations I could pull together, I may have to do another post using this dress another time.  


Outfit 1.  Zara shirt, Vintage bangles, KG pumps, Zara studded bag Outfit 2. Zara jacket, vintage belt, Angel Jackson bag, Miss Selfridge scarf (I WISH it was a MQ), Dune pumps, Vintage necklace. Outfit 3. Monsoon fusion top, Topshop belt, Mulberry bag, KG heel, Accessorize ring.

For the first outfit, I’ve teamed the dress with a leopard print shirt.  I’d love to wear it tied like this over a pair of jeans but I don’t think I’ve got the guts to do that.  Tying it over this dress is far more wearable and makes the dress look more casual. 

My second outfit is definitely one to save for when the weather warms up (and for tanned legs!!) but it would work well with black tights if I wanted to wear it now. ..or maybe some floral tights!  Think I may have to get some.  I tend to wear pumps or flat shoes when I’m wearing dresses, I spend most of my time running around the shops for clients so heels just aren’t practical and I sometimes feel too smart if I wear heels for everyday, although I love the look on others.  I always wear scarves so you’ll often see them tied to my bag in case of emergency.

This third outfit is a smarter look (hence the heels).  I’ve added a lace top under the dress…I love the two laces together and have tied a tan belt round my waist to break up the sea of black. 

What do you think?  Would you like to see more outfits with this dress?

Days in the office are the perfect excuse to experiment with my outfits a little, but I’ve got to be careful as I can get a bit carried away and I’ve got loads to do today.  I bought this vintage dress about a year ago in York, when Al and I visited for a weekend.  If you’ve never been, it’s well worth a visit it’s crammed full with quirky shops and vintage boutiques. You'll probably notice that this dress is a little different for me as it’s quite a bright colour and is patterned, two things that I don’t wear a lot.   I’d normally team this dress with some leopard print loafers...I love the way they clash, but today that’s not allowed so it’s black flats instead.  I felt a little girly in it so added a studded waist belt to give the look some edge.

I managed to convince Hendrix to be in the shots with me again, I love him being in them with me, I think it makes the photos far more interesting than them just being of me.


Dress is vintage, belt is from Hennes kids department and the shoes are from KG

 Despite the loud print and colour, this is actually quite   a versatile dress, it looks great in the day with flats, but I can also swap my flats for some statement shoes and it’s great for something more dressy.  My favourite discovery though, is that I can wear a skirt over the top of it…


This skirt is from Joy

Well day two of my challenge is nearly over.  I had to remove all my leopard print items from sight this morning, to avoid the temptation of wearing them.  I had a lovely new client booked in today for a wardrobe consultation so I’m looking a little smarter than I did yesterday.  If I’m seeing a client, I like to try and polish my look a little, it helps get my head’s in the right space.  It has to still look and feel like me though, otherwise it just doesn’t work.

This outfit is one of those fall back one’s, perfect for a day like today when I all seemed to want to wear is leopard print.  You all know about my love for black skinny’s well here I am in them again, they’re from Donna Ida and are definately an investment piece.  I saved my pennies for these and they’re worth every single one of them!  My blouse is another wardrobe staple; it can be worn casually, smart, or dressed up for a night out.  All I need to do is change the accessories around a little.  It’s one of those items that I think everyone should have in their wardrobe, you don’t have to go for a style that ties at the neck like this one, there are so many different styles around, for all body shapes.  I can just about get away wearing this blouse un-tucked but I think it’s a more polished look when it’s tucked in, it also gives it a bit more shape. 

Jacket from Mango, blouse from Oasis, trousers from Donna Ida, shoes from Carvella, belt came with a pair of trousers from Zara and my bag is Mulberry (it's 10yrs old this year!)

The jacket has been in my wardrobe for about three years now, and yes, it’s another key item. I find it so useful for this time of year when it’s not cold enough to wear my winter coat, but not warm enough to go without.  It works well with denim and I can throw it over a dress, it’s so versatile.

I didn’t start this post intending it to be about key items for the wardrobe, but it seems to have turned out that way…maybe it’s because I did a wardrobe consultation today which is all about identifying key items and building on them to develop a hard working wardrobe.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why my dog is in so many of the photos, it’s because I took them as soon as I got home to catch the last of the daylight, when normally I’d be rushing out on a walk with him.  It was his way of letting me know that he was ready, but to be honest, I didn't mind I quite liked the distraction in front of the lens.

Do you have a fall back outfit, or do you always know what to wear?

Monday was the last day of not wearing my favourite jeans; I couldn’t wait to get back into them on Tuesday, although after doing this I think I’ll be wearing them a lot less. My final day wearing anything but jeans was spent with two friends doing some last minute shopping and drinking hot chocolate. It’s always great to see them, they both run their own personal styling business too so we always have loads to talk about. It’s great to be able to talk about work, both good and bad and know that they understand, it’s a great support to have and a special friendship too.
Kate and Kirsten are two of the most stylish girls I know so I feel like I have to make an effort each time we meet, well, I don’t really feel like I have to, I love to…any excuse to dress up!



Dress - Oasis Cardigan - Oasis Belt (yes that one AGAIN!) Shoes - KG

 I knew it was going to be cold so had to think carefully about what to wear. Normally jeans and over the knee boots would be my choice, but…well you know the score, I couldn’t wear them. I’m loving dresses at the moment so chose this lace dress from Oasis. It was one of the few things I bought this season and I’ve not worn it as much as I’d hoped, so I thought I’d try and make it work today. I’m always, ALWAYS, complaining of cold feet so in an attempt to prevent numb toes I wore the dress with thick tights and these shoe boots with chunky socks. My feet were definitely not cold.

You probably know by now that I have a penchant for anything leopard print. I’ve got leopard print shoes, bags, belts, dresses and this cardigan. I’ve even got a leopard print wash bag and garden chair thanks to friends. I’m trying to cool it with the leopard print a bit as I think I wear it a tad too much, but I couldn’t resist it today.

I quite liked this look, and it was warm and comfortable which is always a bonus!

I’m actually quite enjoying pulling together outfits that don’t involve my jeans. I don’t’ think I realised how many outfits I could make without them. I don’t own many skirts (maybe two, or three at most) so will automatically just pull on a pair of trousers as I find them the easiest thing to wear when I’m short of time (which I often am). For work however, I tend to wear dresses. They’re so comfortable and are easy to dress up if I need to but I realised that I don’t really wear them outside of work, and I’m not sure why. So this outfit is my Sunday/day six look. I’m wearing a Whistles dress that I’ve had for ages and tend to keep for work, but instead of pulling together quite a polished look with pumps or heels, I’ve dressed it down by wearing my biker boots (again) and a cropped jumper…no one would know it’s a dress.

Dress - Whistles Jumper - Limited Collection Scarf - H&M Boots - KG

It’s great to be able to demonstrate how easy it is to dress an outfit down. SO often, I see clients wardrobes full of occasion wear that they’re saving for best. It’s such a shame to have something you love hanging in the wardrobe unworn, especially if it’s something that makes you feel great when you wear it. Why not experiment a little, there’s always a way to dress something down so it can be worn more casually. Try teaming a LBD with thick tights and a chunky cardigan or pull a jumper over the top for a great casual look, you never know, you might discover a whole host of new outfits!

Yes I know, my seven day challenge officially ended yesterday and I’ve only posted four days’ worth of outfits.

It’s not that I’ve not documented my outfits, I have! I’ve just been ploughing on with my work, trying to get everything finished before I go away for Christmas so haven’t had a chance to post the outfits. I know I could have just uploaded the photo and have been done with it, but I’d rather talk you through my outfit and why I pulled it together.

So here’s my outfit on day five of the challenge. You’ll probably recognise this dress; it’s the one I wore to the My Street Chic fashion bloggers party. I loved wearing it, and had bought it with the intention of wearing it during the day as well as for evening so wore it again on Saturday.  This was a day of last minute Christmas shopping, followed by food out so I wanted to make a bit of an effort, but still be comfortable and warm. To make the dress more casual, I wore it with my black biker boots and threw a chunky cardigan on top. As a pear shape, I often struggle in winter to find knitwear that flatters me – most knitwear is quite loose and long, so I find it cuts me across my hips – highlighting the widest part of me. This cardigan however is perfect; it’s cropped so highlights my waste. I’ve had it for years and have found it so useful for throwing over pretty much any outfit.

Dress - Zara Boots - KG Cardigan - Topshop

Just wanted to show the dipped hem.

After we'd finished our shopping we headed to the Holburne Museum, to see the field of light installation by Bruce Munro . Has anyone else been to this? I was blown away by how beautiful the lights are…

Here’s the photo from last night that I promised I’d upload.  I ran out of time yesterday and haven’t been able to post it until now.  You’ll probably recognise the dress, it’s the same one from this post and this post, but I love it!

Dress - Warehouse Cardigan - Mango Bag - Vintage Shoe boots - KG