A week to go!

Are you ready?  I am sort of…I just have to wrap everything and assemble a damn dolls house!  Writing that makes me realize I’m not ready at all!  So in the frenzy of Advent here is a quick outfit post.

Yesterday morning it was my son’s Kindergarten Holiday program.  It was beautiful – they sang songs for Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year and Las Posadas – wonderfully multi-cultural.  He was the only boy in sweats and sneakers – I must remember the slacks, sports jacket and loafers for next year.

I made sure my piercings were on full show for the PTA by wearing my hair behind my ears with a baseball cap.

AS and JC

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Diesel Fayza Jogg Jeans // Shirt – Gap // Cardigan – AllSaints // Cap – J.Crew

Last night I went out for drinks and appetizers with two wonderful girlfriends.  We bought tickets for the Mega Millions draw, which I refuse to check today just so I can pretend I won for a little longer.

sw collage

 

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Highland // Jeans – Gap jeggings (similar here) // Tank – H&M // Sweater – AllSaints (old – similar here)

Try and enjoy this coming week – take a moment to relish friends and family at this fun time of the year.  It’ll be 2014 before we know it.

 

 

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25% off EVERYTHING at ASOS till MONDAY!!

Remember all those dresses I picked out the other day?  Well now you can get them all with 25% off using code GETGIFTS in the USA and code 25XMAS in the UK – ENJOY:)

 

 

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A haircut for date night.

It was time for a color refresh yesterday and even though I am growing my hair it had got to the stage where I needed more shape.  The bob was getting a bit heavy so I had lots of layers added to blend it and make it easier to keep growing – it’s almost over my collar at the back now!

hair

 

Thanks as always to the gorgeous Lauren at Plum Salon who got me out of there in time for my Brazilian appointment – Christmas takes some preparation!  In fact after reading MommyEnnui.com‘s latest post top of my wish list for Santa this year is painless, permanent, immediate removal of all my unwanted body hair!

My outfit for the day was rather festive – red and sparkles!

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Sneakers – Golden Goose (old similar here and here) // Jeans – Zara // Sweater – Uniqlo men’s cashmere crewneck // Jacket – Zara (old similar here and here on sale!) // Sunglasses – Ray Ban Aviators

Last night we went out for dinner – a bit of romance before the Christmas mayhem begins.  I broke all the rules and wore my new Stuart Weitzman Highland boots with a short, tight, printed dress.  I felt quite boho though with my H&M gilet.  The boots are incredibly comfy and easy to wear – they made me feel pretty fabulous.  I think they are true to size – I’m wearing a US 8.5.  I have a pretty wide foot too and, contrary to many reviews, I don’t find them narrow at all.

Highland boots 2 Highland boots

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Highland // Tights – Marks and Spencers Merino rich tights (LOVE these) // Dress – Zara (this is a medium and dangerously short) // Gilet – H&M (similar here) // Clutch – Boden Canonbury clutch (just $44 in the sale!)

It is miserable weather here today so I am going to curl up on the sofa with a box of Belgian chocolates and watch It’s a Wonderful Life again!  What is your favorite Xmas movie?

 

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Boden SALE!!

3, 2, 1….GO!!!  Let me know what you get!!!


‘Tis brass out there.

I LOVE winter.  At 7.30am this morning, even though I knew I wanted to go straight back to bed after getting the kids to school, I dressed in my warmest running gear and ran like a banshee in the freezing cold and glorious sunshine – it was exhilarating.  The whole of the US (bar Florida of course) is shivering in Arctic conditions.  I love it – I get to wear hats, big coats and boots.

GG3 GG2 GG 1

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose (old – similar here) // Hat – Nordstrom // Jacket – J.Crew (old – similar here) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Sweater – Boden Off Duty Jumper

 

AS1 AS3

 

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury Charcoal suede // Trousers – Zara pleather leggings // Tank – H&M (old) // Sweater – AllSaints (old – similar here) // Coat – Zara // Bag – Anya Hindmarch from TheOutnet.com

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How one ‘need’ can lead to another ‘need’ in a matter of moments.

I’m still debating with myself about the over the knee boots.  It’s now moved on from ‘should I get some?’ to ‘which do I get?’.  It’s a tricky one.  The choice rests between two Stuart Weitzman styles – the Stuart Weitzman Highland or the Stuart Weitzman 50/50.  Both over the knee but VERY different.  I actually could make an argument for both – which is the problem – because now I want both.  The Highland is long, sleek, heeled and sexy – definitely a going out boot, and the 50/50 is a low heeled boot, more practical looking, but still a gorgeous riding boot that could be worn during the day too.  My heart says the Highland, my head says the 50/50.

Black Topo

If I go for the 50/50 another multitude of decisions needs to be made – suede or leather, print or plain, and then what color? I love both the black suede and the topo suede.

5050

5050

Then look what arrived on the Bloomingdale’s site the other day!  This nubuck pair is divine – imagine them with bare, tanned legs and a dress.

nubuck

 

So that’s what I did – imagined myself with OTK boots and a dress.  Fatal.  That vivid imagination of mine led me straight to the ASOS site.  ASOS are killing me.  They are my new go to site when I am on the hunt for something.

For me the critical features that a dress must have to be worn stylishly with OTK boots are:

1. Slightly loose or flowy – nothing tight – way too hoochy mama with boots – think Pretty Woman.

2. Not too dressy – for the same reasons as above – let the boots do the talking.

3. Don’t show too much skin up top – no boobs or cleavage for Pete’s sake.  We’re looking at the legs not the tits.

4. Slightly shorter than the top of the boots – let at least an inch of flesh show between the boots and dress, either bare legs or opaque tights.  If you wear tights – make sure they are a slightly lower denier or color from the boots – you want people to see where the boots end – they are thigh highs and supposed to be a little sexy! (again just not Pretty Woman style)

Okay those are the rules – fairly easy to follow and easy to apply.  All I did was search for ASOS brand black or grey dresses and here are the all the dresses that I now cannot live without.  Especially once I have my OTK boots – whichever pair I end up with.  If I procrastinate any longer they will be sold out.  These first few dresses are lovely casual dresses that contrast brilliantly with the decadence of thigh highs.

I love this dress – I’ve seen a few sweatshirts with similar print.  This would be perfect with suede Highlands.

animal sweat dress

I’ve just ordered this sweatshirt dress – again perfect for wearing with a dressy heeled boot – I love the juxtaposition of the two together.

ASOS tunic dress

This jersey nepi dress is the PERFECT shape as far as I am concerned for thigh highs.  Nothing too OTT about the dress – it’s all about the boots.

Nepi swing dress

I love this skater dress for the same reasons.

simple skater dress

Remember what I said about no flesh up top.  This dress takes it to the extreme – gorgeous with short hair or long hair in a high pony tail, with the boots of course.

polo swing dress

Now this one bends the rules slightly – but there’s always one isn’t there?  With the flat 50/50s this would be perfect – here the top of the dress compensates for the lack of heel on the boots.

lace insert dress

This crack print dress fell in the mix purely because I adore the print – very Mint Velvet.  A perfect party dress with high or low heeled OTK boots.

crack print dress

Finally a drop waisted dress.  Pretty, flirtatious and no hoochy mama in sight.

dropped waist dress

So now the conundrum – which boots is it to be?  Choosing the dress will be easy then no?

As I head off to dream about thigh high boots here’s what I’ve been wearing the past couple of days.

I bought these Steve Madden boots so long ago that at the time it completely escaped me what fabulous Marant tributes they are!

Mango coat

Boots – Steve Madden Carlsen (old) // Trousers – Zara (old) // Sweater – Off Duty sweater Boden // Coat – Mango

IM collage

 

Jeans – H&M (old) // Tank – H&M (old) // Sweater – Zara // Boots – Isabel Marant pour H&M via eBay // Scarf – H&M (old) // Jacket – Zara

 

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It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas!

After a wild, fun night on Thursday, that ended later than expected at 3am, I headed out of the house on Friday to get the tree, again later than expected…The kids were eager to decorate and for the first time ever I let them at it – all except the stringing of the lights that my OCD just couldn’t bear to let go of, not just yet anyway…I have to say they did a mighty fine job.  Even our daredevil elf, Maximus, was suitably impressed.

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While we were waiting for the tree to be delivered I asked the children to write their lists for Santa.  As you can see Poppy was less than impressed for some reason, though Hugh had a blast writing his – I must teach him to do ditto marks next time poor lad!

Lists for Santa

Hat – Nordstrom // T-shirt – Zara (old) // Cardigan – AllSaints // Jeans – Zara coated jeans (similar here) // Boots – Frye Jane Tall boots

The house feels and smells so festive now – I love having the trees up – but it’s hard to believe it really is almost Xmas!!  I haven’t sent cards yet or transferred the kids’ lists into my Amazon cart – thank goodness I had the foresight to photograph them before they were handed over to Santa!

Today I had a good run with Tennyson in the drizzle – the boy is a trouper – 4 miles in the wet and cold was not was not what he was expecting as he bounded out of the door!  I then enjoyed a good old family day watching football and Christmas movies while indulging with peppermint bark and hot chocolate…I think a run will be required most days in this run up to the 25th!

Zara sweater

 Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Diesel Fayza Jogg Jeans // Tank – Gap // Sweater – Zara

 

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The Stuart Weitzman Highland Boot

Following on from yesterday, trawling through boot collections, I stumbled on these beauties again.  I’ve seen them worn on so many other blogs it’s no wonder the only place I can find a good range of sizes is Zappos.com, though Nordstrom and Neiman’s still have some available.  In the UK you can buy them directly from Stuart Weitzman who have plenty of sizes available.

I am in luuuurve with this boot.  A perfect heel height – not too high, yet high enough to lengthen the leg, with lovely stretchy suede to hold your leg nicely without slipping down.  If I had my druthers I’d get the grey/taupe version – super sexy with skirts, but the black is obviously way more practical and maybe even more versatile for my closet.  At $750 they are definitely an investment – but think of the pleasure they’d provide;)

Black Topo

Rosie

Rosie Huntington-Whitely

Ring My Bell

http://ashley-ringmybell.blogspot.com

PeaceLoveShea

http://peaceloveshea.com

Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo

BrooklynBlonde

Brooklyn Blonde

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My boot obsession.

You’ve all heard about it before – I love boots.  Can’t get enough boots as far as I am concerned, which is a shame given the climate I live in.  I can only really wear them for 4 months of the year – that was until I discovered my summer boots – the Newbury canvas boot.

Anyway we’re a long way from summer right now and it is wet, wet, wet here in Atlanta – all be it heading up to 70 degrees this afternoon – totally random weather.  Regardless ’tis definitely boot wearing weather, and though most people here drag out their ‘rain boots’ i.e. wellies when it rains I prefer to stick to ankle boots.  For me my wellies will only ever be worn when trampling across muddy fields, avoiding sheep shit, which rarely happens to me these days outside of Lancashire.

Thankfully at this time of year sales are bountiful – especially now retailers are gearing up to clear all their boot inventory ready for sandals hitting the stores in February!  One of my favorite brands is Sam Edelman.  I have a couple of pairs of his Petty boots which I love, plus a pair of Louie boots – I’m a sucker when it comes to a fringe.

Petty boots:

Petty

Louie boots:

Louie

p.s. for you Moms with gorgeous daughters out there Sam Edelman have a range of kids boots that I have never noticed before – I LOVE these for Poppy – also currently on sale!

kids louie

LOTS of his dressier boots are currently in the sale and here are my top picks pop pickers…

The Kenley boot – great buckle detail:

Kenley

The Mila boot – 50% off and very Isabel Marant – perfect with coated skinnies:

Mila

The Princeton boot – slightly lower but still a rocking boot with the laced back:

Princeton

I am OBSESSED with the fringe detail on the Mariel boot!  They are available in a gorgeous cream too.

Mariel

Here is another pair that my heart races for – the Martina boot – I adore the corset back of these – 33% off and still plenty of sizes available at Nordstrom.  I might order these just to try…

Martina

And here are my outfits this week – it’s been packed with work, tinsel buying and school projects – oh the glamor.  At least I got to wear an early Xmas present on Monday.

Per Una fur coat

Coat – Per Una Marks & Spencer // Jumper – Uniqlo men’s cashmere dark grey // Scarf – Uniqlo cashmere // Jeans – Zara Camo jeans (old similar here) // Boots – Black leather Rag & Bone Newbury boot // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks

Tuesday was definitely a day where comfort came first:

Gap shirt

Shirt – The Gap // Scarf – Primark (old) // Jeans – Zara // Boots – Zara (old)

Now off to run more errands while it rains!

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The big Thanksgiving catchup.

I’m back…after a brilliant week.  I intentionally tried to avoid the laptop as I was determined not to be sucked in by random Black Friday deals – especially knowing that most brands offer far deeper discounts at other times of the year.  Yes we have been conditioned to go mental on Black Friday but don’t!  You’ll be better off waiting for other big sales – most retailers know we want to spend now but hold out if you can.

The week started with some fun appointments.  Poppy had a layer of pink in her hair – so you can just see it when she has a pony tail.  Less permanent at this age than piercings – and after mine I didn’t want to be too much of a hypocrite when it comes to exploring new looks and self expression.  Lauren at Plum Salon once again looked after us – she is fabulous and I highly recommend her if you are in the Atlanta area.

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It was freezing on Tuesday and it called for some big coat and scarf action.

Unknown1 Zara coat

 

Jeans – coated jeans Dorothy Perkins (25% off everything with Holiday25) // Boots – Dorothy Perkins // Sweater – Boden Westbourne sweater // Scarf – Zara (old) // Coat – Zara

On Wednesday the kids had dental appointments.  Don’t ask me why I scheduled them the day before Thanksgiving.  We had a power cut that morning, due to all the rain and wind we’d had, and I had to go without a shower.  While messaging Fiona and Avril from the waiting room I assured them I didn’t look too skanky with this selfie – no full length photo that day – I’ve enjoyed a break from the mirror:)

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Sweater – Boden Off Duty jumper (last year’s but similar here) // Coat – Mango // Hat – Nordstrom (100% cashmere for less than $30!)

That evening was spent pretending to be a domestic goddess – I chugged a bottle of sparkling while making cranberry sauce, sausage stuffing and then brining the bird.  It was a really fun family night listening to music with the odd random game of chess thrown in.  Chess is our new obsession – I’m still being thrashed by my 5 year old.

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On Thanksgiving Day we had our fabulous friends from Bulgaria over, so we could enjoy an international Thanksgiving.  Neither of us have family here so it was absolutely fantastic to share the day with fun friends.  We talked Communism, music and literature while drinking and eating LOTS.  The best Thanksgiving ever, and I have to say the food was pretty darn good too:)

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The aftermath:

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Yesterday we headed out for a blast of fresh air.  We went to the Georgia Dome to watch the Georgia State Panthers play – a fun day with some tailgating thrown in for good measure.

AllSaints sweatshirt

Shoes – Isabel Marant Bobby sneakers // Jeans – Zara // Sweatshirt – AllSaints (20% off with THANKS) // Hat – Nordstrom // (the jacket below is Next from last year)

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So today it is back to normality – I’m back to running and eating left over turkey:)

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Here’s to my favorite Holiday of the year.  Now to start planning for Xmas – and Maximus the Elf rejoined the clan today so I better be good!

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