Tag Archives: AllSaints

Spring footwear

Okay so by now you all know I have a special love affair (my only acknowledgement of Valentine’s Day!) with boots and sneakers. I’ve recently indulged in some new work out sneakers, as after my melanoma diagnosis I was spurred on to get fitter and healthier and nothing motivates more like a new pair of running shoes! I love them – they are the Nike Lunaracer and they are incredibly light and comfortable. Size up half a size though as they are quite snug.

lunaracerAfter my huge success with the Adidas Stan Smiths, which seem to go with everything, I got suckered into the Adidas Superstar. To be honest it is a shoe I have never really liked till now. I was put off by the huge rubber toe cap, preferring the sleeker look of the Adidas Samoa or Gazelles. Well after trying the Superstars I can officially say I am hooked – they look fabulous on and are as comfy as the Stans.

superstarsI wear boots all year round. I think an ankle boot can be really flattering with shorts or a dress in the summer. I love my Newbury tan canvas boots for that very reason. Here I am wearing them in a previous summer.

IMG_4087Well this spring I shall be getting my hands on these beauties. The Newbury boot in off white.

off white NewburyThey’re already selling out in a lot of stores so I better not procrastinate too long. I love the idea of these with cropped jeans and a jacket, or with denim shorts and a white t-shirt.

They are also available in a gorgeous tan leather – again their heel makes them incredibly leg lengthening and yet they are so comfortable.

tan newburyMy fellow cheer Mom and friend has these stunning Dolce Vita Haku boots that I am lusting after! I saw her wearing them the other week with white jeans and they looked amazing. The backless/mule design makes them perfect for spring and summer. Again just fabulous with shorts, which is probably why these are selling like hotcakes too! They come in tan, taupe and black.

Haku street style Haku tan

 

haku boot Haku blackI’m going in for the taupe as I already have these in tan from Zara:

fringe bootI think shoes are always worth the investment – I might not need new clothes but shoes can help an outfit switch gears immediately.

Finally I want to take the time to thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. I am healing nicely and the tenderness from the incision has gone. The healing body really is quite remarkable. Last night I was even able to wear my 4″ heels to dinner!

IMG_0492 IMG_0488Shoes – J.Crew // Jeans – Cigarette jeans from Zara // T-shirt – J.Crew (old) // Jacket – Lace blazer from Mango

On Thursday I headed to the mall to treat myself to some new lipsticks and skincare – perfect post surgery indulgence. This cheapo scarf from ASOS garnered so many compliments!

 

IMG_0478Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury in petrol (old) // Trousers – J.Crew // T-shirt – J.Crew // Jacket – AllSaints (old) // Scarf – ASOS

Loose pants have really been the order of the week to avoid aggravating my stitches. Here’s my outfit from Wednesday.

IMG_0472 IMG_0468Sneakers – Adidas Superstars // Trousers – J.Crew (on sale plus an additional 40% off with code WEEKENDMUST) // Jumper – Everlane // Jacket – Mango (similar here)

We have a long weekend for President’s Day so hopefully in between cheer competitions we’ll have some fun in the sun!

 

 

A weekend of cheer!

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen that my entire weekend was taken up with AllStar Cheer! Poppy had a competition with her team, here in Atlanta, on Saturday and then they performed at half time for the Georgia Tech women’s basketball yesterday! It was so much fun but my little girl is rather tired today, and a little bruised after taking a face plant from a stunt in practice! A rite of passage – her first sports injury – all teeth intact thank goodness – just a bloody nose and a bust lip! Can I just say too that boy, Georgia Tech has some amazing facilities! St.Andrews had little more than a football pitch and a gym back in 1990. The facilities at Georgia Tech are incredible – walking into the basketball arena is like walking into a pro facility. College here certainly isn’t what I grew up with!

In keeping with yesterday’s basketball theme I dressed the part and wore my Nike Af 1s for the day 🙂 Unfortunately as my Husband and I were driving off we realized much to our amusement that we were both in black harems and grey sweatshirts, his and hers outfits coordinating nicely!

jacket 1Sneakers – Nike Af 1s // Trousers – Zara // Sweatshirt – AllSaints decay top (old) // Jacket – AllSaints leather jacket (sale last year) // Scarf – ASOS

On Thursday night I was supposed to be heading out for a girls night. Unfortunately due to various situations it got cancelled at the last minute. Talk about all dressed up with no where to go. I ended up back in my onesie with a bottle of wine at home!

tux collageShoes – J.Crew // Trousers – J.Crew // Top – AllSaints Tiko t-shirt (old) // Jacket – Mango tux jacket (similar here)

After killing myself at spin on Friday I had little planned so I nipped out for lunch and then had a fun evening at home with a couple of girlfriends and their children.

scarf collageSneakers – Golden Goose (similar here) // Jeans – Zara // Jumper – Uniqlo cashmere tunic // Scarf – ASOS

Today there are plenty of people nursing hangovers. I, of course was very sensible and feel wonderful – and I am not being sarcastic! Crushed though I am for the loosing Seahawks, I am still replaying Missy Elliott on YouTube – she absolutely killed it at the halftime show!

So finally here is my comfy attire for today – plenty of knits required here!

boots CollageBoots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Jeans – Zara // Jumper – Uniqlo merino polo neck // Cardigan – ASOS (in sale) // Scarf – ASOS

That’s Superbowl weekend done and dusted for another year and I managed to stay away from the beer, nachos and wings – result!

 

Dusting the flares off again

Yes they are back, though for me the great flare never went away. This is me from almost exactly a year ago wearing my Hudson Woodstock flares that I love so much!

jacket-and-flares-386x1024I find flares super flattering especially with a heel – really leg lengthening and slimming with a great bell bottom. The more flared the better as far as I am concerned!

Here’s me in the same jeans from March 2011!

2011Here are some of my favorite inspiration photos from Pinterest – there’s an abundance of great street style photos for flares!

flares 7 flares 6 flares 5 flares 4 flares 2 flares 1I love that this season’s flares also encompass wide legged trousers too, so if you aren’t comfortable with the tight thighs you can always try a pair such as these from Zara – so boho! I love the idea of these with flat, minimal sandals in the summer.

wide leg jeans zaraI’ve recently ordered this pair as I love the idea of a black pair of flares and Zara’s jeans always have a lovely stretch to them too. They’ll be perfect with Stans or heels.

black flaresUnfortunately I can’t find the Hudson Woodstock anywhere these days but they now stock the Ferris flare here which look identical with the hem stitching. I particularly love my Hudsons for the stretch denim and the flap back pockets – they really give your butt a great shape!

ferris flareIf you don’t like the flap pocket then Nordstrom stock the Hudson Angel flare with a classic pocket.

angel flareYesterday, instead of classic flares, I wore a pair of old Zara wide leg jeans. I haven’t worn them for a while and I had forgotten how comfy they are. They are super ‘Mom’ jeans with a really high rise – they keep everything held in!

Cardigan 1 cardigan 2Jeans – Zara (old) // Sneakers – Adidas calf hair (similar here) // Jumper – Boden Off Duty (on sale) // Cardigan – ASOS (now on sale)

Today I am back in the skinnies but I’m off out with the girls tonight and might just dig out my Hudsons for the occasion!

shirt and swaeter mango coatShoes – Vince Nina // Jeans – Zara // Shirt – Mango (on sale) // Jumper – AllSaints (old) // Coat – Mango (on sale 50% off!)

So how do you plan to wear your flares this Spring?

A quiet week at home

Sorry for being AWOL this week – MLK day, 2 days at home with a sick child and Drs appointments have meant that I’ve worn little else but my cashmere onesie and workout gear.

January is when I like to get all those pesky annual check ups out of the way, so make sure you remember to do the same! Yesterday was my annual skin check, today is mammogram day and Monday is my ob/gyn annual. None of them are pleasant appointments but boy it feels good to get them out of the way!

The one day this week I did get dressed properly was on MLK day when we went to watch Paddington at the movies – best family movie I have seen in a long time, by far!

I’ve had a haircut since thank goodness – it was starting to look a little unkempt!

IMG_0307Boots – Navy Newbury boots // Trousers – coated chinos from Zara (old) // Jumper – Uniqlo cotton cashmere navy tunic – LOVE these and they are now on the UK site! // Jacket – AllSaints Monument jacket (old – similar here) // Bag – Alexander McQueen (sale)

While downloading photos I found this one from weeks ago that I hadn’t posted – not wanting it to go to waste here it is 🙂

IMG_0299Shoes – Zara // Trousers – Zara // Jumper – J.Crew (similar here) // Jacket – Mango (on sale) // Bag – Zara (on sale)

We’re now so close to February I am starting to get very excited about my annual trip home to see my family and friends. I need to start a packing list! Woo hooo!

 

A night out, a day off and off out shopping

It’s MLK Day here on Monday so we have a lovely long weekend. I wasn’t looking forward to it earlier in the week as it was so cold and lashing it down with freezing rain. Now though I am thrilled as the skies are blue, the sun is shining and my windows are open. Spring is taunting us.

On Thursday night I had a lovely dinner with an old friend from my corporate days. It was so much fun to catch up especially as she has got married and is now in the process of changing jobs – my stories felt comparatively dull!

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Boots – AllSaints Alba (on sale and now reduced even further) // Leather trousers – J.Brand (old but the same here) // Jumper – Everlane cashmere tunic

Yesterday was my day off and after completing another grueling work out (I will be 20lbs lighter by the summer!) I was lucky enough to have the afternoon with my Husband chatting and walking the dogs in the sunshine.

DSC_0307Sneakers – Stan Smiths in navy // Trousers – J.Crew drapey wool trousers in navy // Jumper – Everlane cashmere v-neck

These Stan Smiths are pretty awesome – yup if you’re counting that’s another new pair.

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Today I took Poppy to the mall. It’s always so much fun to treat her after a good week at school and right now her favorite store is The Body Shop and who am I to discourage cleanliness and personal grooming!?

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DSC_0317 DSC_0330 DSC_0321

Jumpsuit – OAK (on sale) // Shoes – Nine West // Jacket – Helmut Lang (on sale)

And I got to take my new baby out. Really? Who for one moment thought I wouldn’t buy it? I am in love.

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After hitting The Body Shop, where of course we had to buy the limited edition Smoky Poppy product line, we headed to Sephora where I bought the travel sized Hourglass Veil Primer to try. I’ve heard amazing things about this stuff. Lets see if it delivers.

IMG_1696

 

Tomorrow is my Blogversary – 3 whole years! I still love this little creative outlet as much as ever and my world would be empty without all the amazing friends I have met through it. What will year 4 bring?

 

50% off sale at AllSaints!

I can’t let you miss out on this there are some gems!

 

Some of my favorites include the Rip it Up dress that I wore at NYC Fashion Week.

Rip it up

 

The Walkon knitted tee that I got at the start of the sale.

Walton

 

My favorite dress – the Hafbec!

Hafbec

 

…and last but not least the Kayla shirt.

kayla

 

The sale is on in the UK and US so enjoy everyone!

 

We made it to 2015!

Happy New Year to you all!!! I expect many of you are nursing hangovers today! Well I nursed mine yesterday after a fabulous night out on Tuesday. We decided to avoid ‘amateur night’ aka NYE, and headed out to celebrate on the 30th instead. That meant we had a lovely, lazy NYE spent at the movies watching A Night at the Museum 3 with the kids, then later watching the freezing cold revelers in Times Square while I enjoyed my traditional Chinese takeaway and several cups of camomile tea! Guess who is feeling virtuous today?

This month I am heading into my 4th year of blogging! Can you believe it? I find it astounding when I look back at previous posts – some successes and some not so great outfits. I’m still not where I want to be with my ‘style’ but I’m going to have another fun year experimenting! Thank you so much for all your support over the past three years and I am looking forward to trying to entertain you all again this year! Here’s to 2015!

Here’s my outfit from Tuesday – super comfy, and yet I love the exposed shoulders.

Allsaints dressBoots – Stuart Weitzman Highland // Dress – Haff dress AllSaints

And a couple of outfits from the week – my Husband calls this my Han Solo jacket – he reckons I need to be piloting the Millennium Falcon when wearing it! My harems are falling slightly oddly in this photos but hopefully you get the gist.

haremsShoes – Converse // Trousers – Mango harems // T-shirt – Mango // Jacket – Next (all old)

han_solo-c3po

Finally I got to wear a new pair of boots the other day. These Zara boots are amazing leather for the price and you can’t go wrong with a bit of fringe. I have cleaned my mirror since – in fact I haven’t stopped cleaning since we took the tree down and I am still finding needles!

zara boots zara boots 2Boots – Zara // Jeans – Zara // Top – AllSaints (old) // Cardigan – ASOS (on sale!)

 

A quick update on some sale purchases too. Uniqlo have a brilliant sale on right now and I managed to get my hands on this gorgeous cashmere tunic for $59.99 reduced from $129.99!

Uniqlo tunic

Not in the sale but definitely worth checking out are their new cotton and cashmere mix sweaters. I ordered a couple – they are a great casual jumper yet the added cashmere makes them feel super indulgent.

cotton cashmere mix

They also do a short sleeved version that is perfect for that transition into Spring we can all start thinking about now!

short sleeved

 

My gorgeous Stuart Weitzman Leman lace ups are now in the sale too here.

LEMAN_BLAGOO_12

So all the best for 2015! Best thing for a hangover is a bacon butty with HP sauce – take it from me! We’re having a New Years roast today so I’ll be getting the pork and potatoes in the oven soon!

 

Christmas outfits

I am currently reclining in my M&S cashmere onesie after stuffing myself silly at a Boxing Day lunch. We went to a local restaurant and had the best lunch ever – lobster bisque followed by steak. All I can say is thank goodness for M&S onesies – and today they are on sale!! I may have just ordered the leopard print version that Nicole Scherzinger is wearing here…yup I’m a sucker for cashmere even when it is in the 60s here! The one I bought last year is amazing and washes great – I pretty much live in it in the winter when I am home and have been known to walk down to the bus stop in it 🙂

Nicole in her onesie with Helena Bonham-Carter, backstage after her performance in Cats:

scherzyAvailable from M&S reduced from a whopping £225 to £157:

M&S onesieOr if leopard print isn’t your style there are plenty of the plain versions available that are reduced from £199 to £99, available in pewter, camel and cerise:

hooded onesie

As for other sale purchases I am particularly pleased with my Splendid haul from Net-a-porter.com. Thinking ahead for the summer of course, I have ordered a couple of t-shirt dresses, tanks and jumpsuits that are super comfortable. I even wore one of the jumpsuits on Christmas day but neglected to get a photo as I imbibed too much prosecco too soon 🙂 This is the jumpsuit worn on Christmas day – so soft and comfortable, I have a medium and it is reduced from $225 to $90.

splendid jumpsuitAlso available in green – great with a tan in the summer!

jumpsuit greenThe tanks are a great bargain in the sale. I’ve been wanting these all year but just couldn’t stomach $65 full price for a tee!

tank tank marlThe maxi dresses are beautiful and are a really fabulous fabric that will be cool and yet drapes wonderfully. I love both styles.

maxi dressThis strapless version is reduced from $115 to $46!

maxi dress straplessI can’t wait to wear this on the beach in Cyprus – such a fun color! Even better when it is reduced from $130 to $52!

tee-dressFinally my favorites from the AllSaints sale. These boots are to die for – so unique and dramatic. reduced from $415 to $290:

AlbaIn my eyes you can’t beat a great AllSaints dress. Today for Boxing Day I wore this – a lovely loose knit with gold thread throughout. Perfect for the expanding waistline. I have a medium and it is reduced to $129 from $215.

agnesAnd here it is on me today – thank goodness I opted for a loose dress! I was in a real rush too after spending 40 odd minutes setting up a new sewing machine for Poppy – talk about flashbacks to Home Economics classes! They are certainly paying dividends now for sure!

agnes dressBoots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots (some in the sale here!) // Dress – AllSaints

On Christmas Eve for our annual visit to Church I again opted for warmth and comfort with my Zara knitted suit.

zara knits

Sweater – Zara (now on sale) // Trousers – Zara (now on sale) // Shoes – Vince Claire oxblood

Before the Christmas festivities began my Husband took me out for cocktails on Tuesday so I opted for some sparkles – who knows when I will wear them again!

sequins

Shoes – Vince Claire // Leggings – H&M // Sweater – Everlane cashmere tunic // Jacket – Zara velvet blazer

As for presents, I must have been exceptionally good in 2014, – look what Santa bought me!

leopard newburyI hope you all got what you wished for and had an amazing Christmas! Now to plan those New Year’s outfits!

 

The J.Crew sweater sale

It’s that time of year and the sale emails are flooding my inbox. One email in particular caught my eye (well 3 if I’m honest but I will post on the other 2 later once the goods have arrived!). J.Crew currently have a sweater sale online and in store – 30% off full price sweaters and an additional 40% off sale items using code HOLIDAYTIME. I have indulged as a girl can never have too many jumpers – okay maybe she can in the Georgia climate but sometimes I like to pretend I am still living in Bury 🙂

Firstly this is the one I am wearing today in the poppy ash colorway – the colorblock tunic.

colorblock tunic

This is already on sale so you can reduce it by an extra 40%!

The zipped cable sweater is lovely – a really great winter knit. I have this in navy and grey as I couldn’t decide! Again it is in the sale so can be reduced by another 40%!

wool zip sweater

This is a similar shape only colorblock and I wore this in my last post – the colorblock zip sweater. Again take an extra 40% off the sale price.

zip colorblock sweater

The following are both Hugo Guinness for J.Crew and are lovely for the festive period. The first is an extra 40% off sale price.

dazzling 1 BlissFinally I couldn’t leave out Poppy from all the fun. She is just in love with this – pink and bejewelled and reduced by a further 40%!

jewelled crewcuts

Yesterday we braved the mall – grabbed a quick glance at Santa and decided against the 2hr wait. The kids were just fine with that and I promised to email their lists to him.

fur 1 fur 2Sneakers – Golden Goose (similar here) // Trousers – J.Crew (take 30% off with HOLIDAYTIME) // Sweater – AllSaints (old – sale on in UK and US) // Fur – Zara (on sale)

Today it is time for another lazy day at home before the Husband and I head out tonight for some festive fun!

jcrew sweater giletBoots – Newbury boots (similar here on sale) // Jeans – Zara // Sweater – J.Crew colorblock tunic // Gilet – AllSaints (sale last year)

So after setting up a PS 4 last night all I have left to do is wrap a few presents and head to the hairdressers tomorrow. I’m feeling quite accomplished – what can possibly go wrong?

 

A new hobby

Throughout my life no one has ever considered me to be creative. I’ve always been pigeon holed as the left brained scientist. Not a bad thing at all, but I do remember feeling rather dejected after my attempts to draw and shade the light and shadow on an apple, and my rather pathetic depiction in clay of me sitting on a wall – it used to be on the sideboard at home but even my proud Mum has now relegated it to a shelf in the spare room 🙂

Having children can force you into all kinds of situations that you would never normally consider, such as crafting and painting. Before kids I would never have considered owning a glue gun or paint brushes. Well how things change. Poppy and Hugh have always loved making a mess with paint and recently I was inspired to have a go. It was after buying a couple of fabulous Donald Robertson designed J.Crew tees. I love them for their simplicity and repetitive images. I started following @Donalddrawbertson on Instagram – he really does seem quite a down to earth, talented guy. Having said that, I thought ‘this looks a piece of piss – I’m going to have a go’. So using his art as inspiration – the highest form of flattery – I grabbed my acrylics, a brush, and a bottle of white and started dabbling. Feel free to giggle but I am quite proud of them having not painted since I was 14! Give it a go yourself – you never know what might appear in front of you on paper!

dancing ladies

This is my first ever painting on canvas – it is now hung in my sunroom – signed – just in case it is worth a fortune after I am gone…

first canvas Frenemies

Here is a frame I put up with my attempt at the top and Poppy’s brilliant interpretation below:

Poppy and I

Now these were quite scary – both were attempts at self portraits – far too much wine by this stage 🙂

self portraits

I then moved on to animals – it started out as a deer, then became a dog with Christmas antlers:)

dog with antlers

A cairn terrier – not sure where this came from but I had one called Macks as a child.

cairn terrier

This is probably the one that troubled my Husband the most when he saw my talent scattered on the kitchen table. I’m not sure about this one at all – the Devil, a Centaur or Mr. Tumnus?

devilAnd here I am wearing one of my favorite tees that inspired me to pick up the brush – head over to J.Crew where they are currently on sale with 30% off using code GIVETHIS – there are also some fabulous Crewcut versions for kids.

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T-shirt – J.Crew // Jeans – Zara (old) // Boots – Charcoal suede Newbury boots (similar here) // Cardigan – AllSaints (old but similar here and the end of season sale is on in the US)

I forgot to include this photo the other day of me grabbing some Christmas bargains in J.Crew for Poppy.

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Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Sweater – Boden Off Duty jumper (25% off everything right now) // Knitted coat – ASOS

Finally yesterday – it is getting a bit chilly for ankles but I am persevering!

12_9Shoes – Zara // Trousers – Zara (old) // T-shirt – J.Crew (similar here on sale) // Jacket – Zara (old) // Scarf – H&M (old) // Bag – H&M

So when you are wondering what to do on a cold winter’s night get your paints out and see what happens!!