Monthly Archives: October 2013

You just never know who’s reading!

First published on my Husband’s birthday a year ago – Happy Birthday Honey – I barely recognize myself – or my closet!

After another summer of sizzling in the sun (with SPF of course), this morning I headed to my dermatologist for my annual check up.  There I am sitting ‘nekid’ with a sheet around me when in comes my lovely doctor who immediately asks me ‘do you have a blog? I’m sure it’s you on this style blog I’ve been reading!’.  Aaargh – now if I was dressed I’d have no problem saying ‘yes of course it is!’, but at that moment all I could focus on was the huge amount of fluff my socks had left on my sweaty toes – I was not by any means feeling like the writer of a so called ‘style’ blog.  I giggled nervously and tried to be witty by saying ‘of course it’s me – you must have been googling for ultra stylish women over 40’ – ‘don’t be silly’ she replied – well that’s me told.  So hello all in the dermatologist office – thank you for reading and don’t take too much notice of these ‘hangovers’ I refer to occasionally:)

It’s flippin’ cold and windy here though I am not complaining after seeing the state of the North East this morning.  I feel dreadful for all those suffering with flooding and no power.  On a more superficial note I’ve also been thinking about all those runners who are in limbo after months of training – I’m suspecting that the NYC marathon will not take place this weekend as not only can people not get there, but the streets of NYC are apparently filled with cars that ‘floated’ away from their parking spots!

In order to face the cold today, and make stripping off at the doctors easier, I am wearing my Boden leggings and layering with a bordeaux Zara t-shirt and my AllSaints Wasson pullover dress.  All finished off with Frye Veronica Slouch boots, an H&M scarf and Zara quilted leather jacket.  The dress is lovely and lightweight – it wraps over at the back creating a V shaped hemline – it’s really unusual.

Here you can see the detail of the wrap of the dress at the back…:

Now to prepare for this evening’s fun for MM’s birthday!  We’re off out for dinner and I can’t wait:)

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Liquid gold?

Halloween costumes were mandatory at our neighbor’s party this weekend.  My Husband ignored this and went as himself.  I on the other hand, for the first time ever made a token effort.  Can you guess what I am?  The classy Dixie cup full of margarita is not part of the costume…neither is a very bemused looking Tennyson!

Halloween 2013

Yes I’m a ‘Cereal Killer’ – mwah ha ha haaa!

Today I headed off to the hairdressers.  ‘Tis the Husband’s birthday tomorrow so I need to look glam.

Mng

Boots – Grey Nubuck Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Trousers – Mango (old) // Top – Zara

Foils

And the big reveal – my ombre highlights by the lovely Lauren at Plum Salon – love it!

hair

In order to treat my hair kindly and take care of my fabulous new color I bought some gorgeous Bumble & Bumble shampoo and conditioner – but blimey it is priced like liquid gold so I better keep it for ‘best’!

Okay off to wrap presents now before everyone gets home!

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Halloween celebrations.

As with Christmas, Halloween celebrations seem to creep earlier and earlier each year.  I’m often buying Halloween costumes (yep buying – I am not a crafter – though I may surprise you this weekend) late in September, to avoid the slim pickings that are left in the penultimate week of October.  I think Halloween is growing on me – I don’t mind watching the children enjoy it – but it is still one of my least favorite ‘Holidays’ – just a smidgen less despised than Valentine’s Day.

Fortunately my Halloween celebrations began with a new delivery – though some of you may think these trousers should be relegated to a Halloween costume.  I love them.  I present to you the black Mango pleather/denim combi trousers.  These are the black – but yes I have the blue denim too.  The pleather is lovely and stretchy.

Mango chaps

chaps and cardigan

Golden Goose

 

Colorblock jumper – Zara (similar here) // Knitted jacket – Zara // Black pumps/court shoes – Zara (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Trousers – Mango chaps

I wore them last night to our local Halloween party where the children dressed up and rode a bucking pig.  Oh yes indeed, you read that correctly.

Halloween DSC_0792 Pig riding Poppy

 

This morning was Fall Festival and this afternoon we have a Halloween party across the street.  It’s the perfect Fall day for hanging out with friends.  I promise a photo later with my Halloween costume:)  For now here’s what I’m chilling in.

Off Duty jumper

 

Jumper – Boden Off Duty Merino jumper // Jeans – Diesel Fayza Jogg Jeans // Sneakers – Golden Goose

One last thing – here’s me trying on the beautiful Zara woolen wraparound coat.  I have this in a Large which I think is similar in sizing to a UK 12/US 8 – it is gorgeous and so soft.

Zara coat

Enjoy your Halloween celebrations this weekend!  I’d love to know what you go as for some inspiration for me for next year!:)

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The cold has arrived.

Yes that wintery blast from the North has arrived in Atlanta and I have spent the last two mornings fighting with a stubborn five year old about wearing a coat.  I question what I am actually achieving in addition to making us both mad at 7am, and proving to him that I can be as stubborn as he is!  It drives me nuts, and I know he can be OCD – but he chose his coat from H&M and therefore he should be happy to wear it!  His sister, on the other hand, has a plethora of winter coats that she has been eagerly anticipating wearing.  Like mother like daughter.  She wore this little gem today from Target (currently on sale at $32) – I want one.

Target fur

Yesterday I ended up wearing a puffer coat and scarf for the first time this year.  The Mango coat is great – warm but not too heavy, and easy for layering, though it does fit snug.

AllSaints sweatshirt Mango coat open

My mirror is cleaner than it looks here – promise!

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boot in petrol // Trousers – Zara (old, similar here) // Sweatshirt – AllSaints // Jacket – Mango // Scarf – Zara (old)

Last night my new Gap jacket arrived – I love it – very collegiate, especially with the hi-tops.  It’s pretty cosy too without being bulky.

bomber jacket

Jeans – Diesel Fayza jogg jeans // Sneakers – Golden Goose // T-shirt – Boden long sleeved essential tee // Bomber jacket – Gap

Make sure you check out the Boden sale again today – many items are now reduced by 50%!

 

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Bubblegum pink

What better to cheer up a dreary day than bubblegum pink shoes?

Boden desert boots 1

Shoes – Boden // Jeans – Gap (old) // T-shirt – Express (old) // Jacket – Zara (old) // Scarf – School Gate Style shop

So go on tell – what have you ordered in the Boden sale?:)

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Boden mid-season SALE NOW!

I have my eye on a couple of sweaters and another canonbury clutch!  You’ll still get 15% off items not in the sale using the banner below!

Here are my three favorite knitwear picks.

The fabulous Off Duty jumper which I have from last year – and I’ve just ordered another color.

Off duty

I modeled this stripy merino jumper here – and I love it in this colorway.

merino jumper

This Westbourne sweater is my new favorite – I recently ordered the black when it came back in stock and I’ve just ordererd the grey, even with a 5 week wait it is worth it!  Mr. PS was telling me yesterday how much he loves me wearing neutral blacks and greys – so I’m doing it for him;)

Westbourne

What a great way to kick off Sunday – just in time for the weather cooling here too! Enjoy!


 

 

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The hairdryer is bloody brilliant!

Yes I used it for the first time yesterday and my goodness talk about hairdryer innovation – I don’t often I promise – but the ghd dried my hair to silky, smooth perfection – with volume – in a matter of minutes.  I used my round brush and honestly I didn’t even feel the need for flat irons.  Which is a good job as they are only working intermittently, much like our oven which, is far more distressing with Thanksgiving around the corner!

Yesterday was a fairly lazy day, after spin class that is!  I headed to Whole Foods to collect my ingredients for Moussaka.  I’ve been talking about making it for literally months and now the air is cooler here it’ll be the perfect post swim meet meal – if it all goes to plan that is – fingers crossed the oven works for me:)

So for running around doing errands – here’s what I wore.

allsaints and GG

 

Trousers – Zara (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Tank – H&M // Sweater – AllSaints serpent jumper (old)

Thanks to all of you that bought off my blog sale – they are now in the mail.

Also stay tuned for some exciting Boden news!

***

Note – this is not a sponsored post – I paid for the ghd hairdryer and these are my opinions.

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New necessities.

No don’t worry I’m not trying to justify the ‘need’ for new shoes or clothes again – in fact surely our relationship has evolved to a stage where justifications are no longer required?  Indeed.

Today I bought something that I haven’t bought in years, and something that I’ve rarely needed in recent times.  A new hairdryer.

As my hair has grown I feel the need to blow dry it more often – to acquire that more groomed look.  My haircare routine currently involves washing with Trader Joe’s citrus shampoo, occasionally followed by the conditioner, then the addition of some brand of keratin smoother (I haven’t found one yet to be loyal to), followed by a quick dry with a 10 year old Revlon travel hairdryer, and a quick run over with my 13 year old CHI flat irons to smooth out the kinks and remaining frizz.  Both the hairdryer and the flat irons have just bitten the dust within 10 days of each other.

With my new longer locks – and the ambition to continue to grow them into a healthy, shiny, smooth mane, I decided to upgrade as well as replace.  Any excuse to spend more money hey?  Hence I began the search for new ‘professional’ grade appliances.  I had no idea where to begin – things in the hair care world have moved on somewhat.

For flat irons I knew I wanted to look at CHI again.  The ones that just died on me were amazing and I bought them for $150 (which back then was extortionate) but for the use they have had, cost per use etc., they have been phenomenal value.  However, I also surveyed my blogging buddies – it’s great to have a panel of fashion and beauty experts on hand!  The majority of them recommended ghd – a brand designed in the UK and made in Europe.  Looking through the information on their site it appears there are two popular models – the Classic and the Professional, and I nearly ordered the Professional model.  Then I noticed the Eclipse model which promises to style the hardest to tame and frizziest hair, tackling any hair texture – promises that appealed to me knowing how unruly my hair can be at longer lengths.  The Eclipse is currently available in the UK, but unfortunately not yet in the US – though their Facebook page keeps suggesting the release here is imminent – probably in time for Christmas.  So, for once, I have decided to wait till the Eclipse model gets here – no bad thing as it looks likely it will retail for nearly $300.

So I moved on to hairdryers.  Again I surveyed my blogger friends and many brands were mentioned that I had never heard of before, like Parlux.  Other brands that I found more prevalent in the US were the T3, and again ghd.  I was at first completely sold on the Parlux 3800.  Okay I admit I loved the green and I loved the idea it was made in Italy – go figure.  Mr. PS pointed out that Italians may make great shoes and clothes but since when were they known for electronics?  On further investigation it appeared their customer service and support in the US may be nonexistent.  Not what you need when you are contemplating buying a $200 hairdryer – just in case it dies on first use.  So today I headed into Sephora to continue my research.  I looked at both the T3 and the ghd.  According to the lovely lady helping me they sell more T3s but the ghd is much newer to market here.  I felt that the ghd was very slightly heavier, but it was also smaller (shorter in length) and a little cheaper.  The UK connection convinced me that was the brand I wanted, and as shallow as it sounds I want my flat iron and hairdryer brands to match:)  So now I am the happy owner of a new hairdryer – who knew hair appliances could make a girl smile so much?!  Oh and if you are in the UK you can get hold of the ghd dryer at Selfridges – one of the few things that is far cheaper there than here – if only our sockets were compatible!

GHD

 

While I was in the Mall I popped into Gap who have a sale on in stores here now – plus 35% off regular items and an extra 25% off sale items online (with code GAPFALL)!  I did a little try on.

I picked up the window pane sweater just to try it.  And just as I thought the lines do NOT work on my curvy boobs – square windows become bay windows.

IMG_4749

I loved this leopard print lightweight sweatshirt.  I’m overwhelmed with leopard print in my closet now though!

IMG_4753

I loved this bomber jacket but couldn’t bring myself to pay full price for it in store so I ordered it online with the 35% discount.  It’s lovely.  Grey and cream are perfect together.

IMG_4754

Finally I’ll leave you with my outfit today.  In honor of the AllSaints 100 hour sale I wore my favorite AllSaints jumper from years ago, H&M boyfriend jeans, and some sneakers I found lying around;)

Golden Goose

*****

Note: On returning home I discovered the ghd is made in Italy too – so maybe I better have more faith in their electronics:)

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AllSaints 100 hour SALE!!

Couldn’t let you miss this one – AllSaints have just launched their 100 hour sale!

 

My fabulous sweatshirt that I wore the other day is in it!!

AllSaints

My Bonny Cuban boots are less than half price too!!

Bonny Cuban

Off to fill my cart:)

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Leather pants.

I love a bit of leather and I am in ‘need’ of some great leather trousers.  I had some AllSaints leather jeans, but I wore them to death, and with my yo-yoing weight they stretched beyond what could be considered a flattering fit.  I have been hunting for some time and I am still none the wiser as to which I should buy.

I have two conundrums when looking for leather trousers:

1. Leather vs. pleather.  I am all for trying a good pleather trouser, but it was suggested to me the other day that it might cause some unpleasant sweating where you least want to sweat – I’ve since thought twice about pleather.  Also if I am looking for great leather trousers, then shouldn’t I invest in a brand known for their real leather trousers – now not necessarily Balmain (unless my Husband is buying of course), but maybe Theory or Helmut Lang?

2. A trouser with fly vs. legging.  Part of me wants a great leather jean with a fly and 5 pockets so I can wear shorter tops and sweaters without the fear of a camel toe on show.  On the other hand wriggling into a pair of leather leggings maybe easier, and they are often far cheaper than a leather trouser.

Camel toe and sweating – makes me wonder if I should just avoid the leather pant thing altogether?

So here’s a run down of what has appealed to me so far…

These Ted Baker leggings are not cheap at $600 but knowing the brand they will be fabulous quality.  They also have a side zip and the added stretch will help keep them in shape beautifully.

Ted Baker

I love these Warehouse leather trousers for something a little different.  They aren’t really loose like Christine Centenera wore, but they have a bit more shape than a regular skinny trouser – and I love the cross over fly.  I am sorely tempted by these.

Warehouse

And just so we can dream about what it looks like to ooze style – here she is herself…

Christine-Centenera

Sticking with the peg leg theme – these are a great alternative to leather from ASOS.  You have to use your imagination a little but I think they are great styled correctly.

Peg Pant

These Vero Moda trousers are a great price and a classic cut with a side zip.  Can’t really argue with the price here at all for real leather at $213.

Vero Moda

These Helmut Lang leggings are in my basket on TheOutnet.com.  I am almost at the point of placing my order.  A great price at £292 – they normally retail for £800.  Why am I hesitating?  I’ve no idea!

Helmut Lang

Now these are a definite love it or loathe it item.  They are a copy of the R13 Chaps.  I am obsessively waiting for them to appear on the US Mango site.  Mango have assured me via Twitter that they will be there soon – if you are in the UK you lucky beggars can order yours now!  Take a look here at how amazing Eve looks in hers.

Mnago Sade

Finally just for fun here’s what I ordered today.  At $27 I thought they were worth the risk…we’ll see when they arrive…I present my faux leather harem trousers from eBay.

Faux leather harems

I’ll leave you with today’s outfit taken by my lovely man as we were rushing out of the door for a cheeky child free lunch:)

IMG_7627

Boots – Dorothy Perkins // Jeans – Express (old – similar here) // Tank – TopShop Camisole // Cardigan – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Bag – YSL Roady

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