Tag Archives: ASOS

Jet lag.

Jet lag is crippling – I end up in a complete fog for 2 days.  This will be exacerbated this year because our clocks change tonight.  Thrilled about Spring being almost here, but I know the kids will be bouncing out of bed at 5am tomorrow morning, and after a party for 25 6 year olds today I might not be too keen on that!  Hugh turned 6 on the 6th and I have never seen him so excited before.  He has written a list of all the things he wants to do for his birthday and the party along with a trip to his favorite BBQ joint will complete it.  Think of me this morning while I am bouncing on trampolines and whizzing down zip lines…

The outfits over the past couple of days have revolved around comfort – essential for jet lag recovery!

French Connection teee.jpg

Shoes – Marks and Spencer Limited Edition skate shoes // Jeans – Zara boyfriend jeans // T-shirt – French Connection Amelia t-shirt

ASOS 1.jpg ASOS 2.jpg ASOS 3.jpg ASOS 4.jpg

Boots – Marks and Spencer Autograph biker boots // Jeans – BlankNYC faux leather // Dress – ASOS (currently on sale!) // Jacket – Gap (similar here) // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (similar here)

Celebrating Hugh’s birthday made me reminisce about this time last year – look at me a year ago!  It makes me want my hair short again!

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Spotted this week…

Following on from my previous post, and just to prove that procrastinating can sometimes pay off – I present to you my sequin skirt that is now on its way to me!  Not grey or blush – but a perfectly beautiful shade of indigo.  I hope it is as gorgeous in the flesh – especially as it was already in the sale and is currently an extra 50% off with code EXTRA50.

J.Crew sequin skirt:

jcrew sequin skirt

Unlike a lot of people I know I have very little blue/navy in my closet but I have definitely noticed myself being more and more attracted to navy items.  It’s such a classy color and many clothes look far more expensive, or even better quality, in navy than they do in black.  Not to mention that it is now no longer a fashion faux pas to mix navy and black.  Hence while browsing on Net-a-porter.com this morning I found myself uncontrollably besotted with these beauties.  My Newbury boot fetish continues.

newbury navy suede

It’s been an odd week to say the least.  An entire week off unexpectedly can certainly mess with your head – I feel slightly jet lagged and totally discombobulated!  We’re off tomorrow too for President’s Day, then I have 3 days at work before I’m off to the UK wooo-hooo!  Having the week off has been lovely as it has meant lots of time with the kids before I go and leave them.  Hugh even fell asleep on me yesterday – it was lovely – I hope he still wants to snuggle like that when he is 18;)

Poppy and I braved the snow the other day – I needed to return some stuff to Zara.

zara1

Me – Sneakers – Golden Goose (similar here) // Jeans – Zara coated blue jeans // Coat – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco navy nubuck (TheOutnet.com – now sold out, but similar here) // Poppy – Boots – Sam Edelman Louie // Pants – H&M harems // Coat – H&M // Hair band – Crewcuts

Friday I enjoyed a day of pampering, though to be honest 2 hours in the salon followed by a 2 hour facial was probably a little too much in one day!

gg

Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – H&M grey boyfriend jeans // T-shirt – ASOS forever t-shirt // Jacket – Zara (old) // Scarf – Zara (old)

And here is the finished result – much lighter hair – still not convinced – but a nice change regardless.

AS sweater

Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots petrol (old) // Jeans – Boyfriend jeans Zara // Sweater – AllSaints Portland Jumper (old)

And finally a new ASOS dress to share with you.  It was in the sale and I’d been umming and ahhing about it all over the Christmas period.  I love the lace sleeves – just enough for me – and it reminds me of the lace sleeves on my wedding dress.

asos dress

Off to clean my mirror…!  🙂

Enhanced by Zemanta

Sequins and snow.

This is what I woke up to this morning…

snow 2 snow 1

Not quite what I was expecting.  I thought we’d had the worst of the weather yesterday with the ice storm.  It was quite literally raining ice, and we spent the day curled up on the sofa watching the NBC team in t-shirts in Sochi.

Sarah Palin

 

As we have now had no school since Tuesday, and we are off Friday and Monday anyway for President’s day, to say I am climbing the walls is somewhat of an understatement.  I have tried to focus my attention on my trip, but that of course just gives me greater anxiety wondering if I will have to swim from Bury to London on the 28th.  Not to mention I have suede shoes on my packing list – I might just have to pack the Hunters and be done with it.

My iPad has been getting quite a work out while we watch the Barbie movie for the 20th time, and I have found myself engrossed in Pinterest on more than one occasion.  I’m currently obsessing over this look:

sequin skirt 3 sequin skirt 2 Sequin skirt 1

 

I ABSOLUTELY NEED A SEQUIN SKIRT.

It must be over the knee, but not too short, sequin covered but not too glitzy, grey or blush so it can easily be dressed down with a grey sweater, and lined so it can be worn with tights without fear of ripping them.  I don’t feel like I have found the perfect one yet but here are some that have caught my eye.

I love the red trim on this IRO skirt and it looks nice and comfy with stretch…It’s a great price on TheOutnet.com for some IRO in your closet.

IRO skirt

This Zara skirt is pretty close to what I want – it will look great with a grey cashmere sweater and wool tights.  My concern is the length…it might be titchy on me, and though I will be the first to say I love my legs, there’s legs and then there’s the chance of showing your tight gusset – not a good look.

Zara skirt

This Express Aztec skirt reminds me of the AllSaints skirt from a couple of years ago, but for a way more palatable price – just $36 this weekend!

Express Aztec

Express also have this gorgeous knee length skirt…I am tempted.

Espress knee length

I love the blush colors in this River Island skirt too – and the black trim would help it pair with black cashmere and black tights.

River Island

I saw this skirt in Target a few weeks ago – it’s a bit longer than I am looking for but the color is perfect as is the price.

Target

Finally this one is gorgeous – I’m just hoping her legs are crazy long and that it won’t be quite as short on me!

Revolve

So sequins and knitwear – what do you think – can I get away with it?

Enhanced by Zemanta

Starting to panic about packing!

In less than 3 weeks I’ll be heading to the UK for what has now become my annual meet up with my blogging friends.  To make the most of the CHILD FREE trip across the Atlantic I’ll be staying with my Mum and Dad for a few days too, and hanging out with my brother and sister.  To say I am excited is an understatement. (Caveat for when reading in years to come :  Poppy and Hugh I will miss you LOTS but Mommy just needs some girl time sometimes! xx).

I have of course already started to panic about packing.  An extensive wardrobe really only makes things more challenging.  I have – don’t laugh – started a spreadsheet that itemizes bottoms, tops, sweaters, shoes and accessories.  It is quite a long spreadsheet and needs some – shall we say – fine tuning?

The advantage of making a spreadsheet is that it can identify gaps in your travel wardrobe.  Now as you all know far too well there are few ‘gaps’ in my closet, but one is a practical, warm, trendy coat.  I have lots of wool coats but they are quite heavy for wearing when walking around London, plus they are harder to roll up and pack , and also less comfortable for layering.  Just play along with me please…

Given my above reasoning I realized that what I really ‘need’ is a parka.  Not a wax, storm proof parka, but a lighter weight, lined parka that will be cosy, plus has room to layer over a leather or denim jacket.  I narrowed my choices down to the following:

The Asos Cocoon Parka:

Cocoon parka

The Asos parka with detachable lining:

Asos Parka

It was a tough decision – there are pros and cons to each.  The idea of a detachable lining makes the second a great option, as does the ability to cinch the waist, whereas the cocoon version has less going on.  I polled my fellow bloggers and they were no bloody help as opinions were equally divided.  In the end I closed my eyes and picked one, and now the cocoon parka is on it’s way to me!  I hope it will work well to layer over my AllSaints leather jacket.

Today I am back to black again, with a touch of leopard and red:

AllSaints jacket

Sneakers – red converse // Jeans – Zara coated skinnies // Shirt – Men’s Gap white shirt // Sweater – Uniqlo cashmere men’s crew neck // Jacket – AllSaints Monument jacket // Hat – J.Crew (old – similar here)

Friday was red and black too for a trip to the mall:

red leather jacket and GGs

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose sparkle slides (similar here) // Leggings – H&M // Dress – ASOS swing dress // Jacket – Zara (old – similar here) // Scarf – H&M (similar here)

Finally yesterday with a glimmer of sun I bared the legs – albeit just the knees:

Asos dress

 

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Nude nubuck 5050s // Dress – ASOS

I’ve been pinning some packing tips but if you have any suggestions or tips please share – after all these years I am still crap at selecting a capsule wardrobe for traveling.  I’m always terrified of leaving something behind that I end up really wanting to wear.  OK, ‘terrified’ may be stretching it…

Enhanced by Zemanta

Gray and tan.

I created two comfy daytime outfits with one pair of jeans and two of my favorite neutral colors.  Which is your favorite?

Asos 3 Asos 2 Asos 1

Zara coat

Boots – Acne Pistols // Jeans – Gap (old – similar here in sale) // Dress – ASOS (size small – it is oversized!) // Coat – Zara (from sale – sold out online)

5050 1 5050 3Boots – Stuart Weitzman 5050s // Jeans – Gap as before // Sweater – AllSaints (old similar here) // Scarf – H&M (old)

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Well they’re not clothes…

To my horror I discovered that the kids don’t go back to school till Tuesday!  I thought I had my routine back tomorrow!  Don’t get me wrong we’ve had an amazing break – but 2 weeks is plenty thanks.  Of course the other issue at stake is the fact that Atlanta is due to get temperatures of -10 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday – yes I said Fahrenheit!  This means that school may be out anyway due to severe weather – God help me.  I will not complain about the cold, especially as I am currently watching the NFL playoffs – Green Bay are at home and the stadium is full – talk about risking frostbite!  I’m not kidding when I tell you they are Arctic conditions.

We did venture out yesterday before the cold arrives.  It was one of those lovely spontaneous outings.  We mooched around a couple of boutiques and furniture stores and then took the kids for ice cream – even when it’s cold they won’t refuse it!   I suggested our initial destination, a fabulous mid-century modern furniture store in Inman Park called City Issue.  I mentioned a long time ago that I was looking out for my perfect vanity.  Well before the holidays I noticed a desk on their Facebook page.  I’d long ago realized that anything described as a ‘vanity’ or ‘dressing table’ was going to be too ornate for my tastes.  A contemporary, slim line desk seemed the perfect option – if I could find one.  Well after a teeny, tiny bit of ummming and ahhing this beautiful Danish masterpiece is now mine.  I am in love with her.  I love the fact that she has been used before, and I like to imagine that love letters were once written on her.  I’m using an IKEA chair till I find the perfect partner for her – but I quite like the contrast of the wood with perspex.

vanity vanity 1

 

After arranging my new love and organizing the drawers it was time to eat.  I want to share my brilliant new gadget with you.  As you know I’m trying the Paleo diet – I’m really enjoying cooking so much, but I do miss pasta and rice sometimes.  My rice substitute is ground cauliflower (blend it), fried with onions – it is delicious.  As for pasta I’ve tried spaghetti squash but there is a lot of prep required.  Today I used my spiral vegetable cutter to make noodles from zucchini/courgette – it worked a treat!! I LOVE it!  It comes with 3 blades and lets you cut ribbons too.  I made a thai shrimp curry using them – just throw them in at the end so they don’t get soggy.  DELICIOUS!

noodles thai

 

My final recent acquisition is the Conair InfinitPro spin air brush.  Many of my UK blogging friends have raved about the Babyliss Big Hair version – most recently Trea.  For the life of me I couldn’t find it anywhere here.  Then I realized it is branded differently – Conair own Babyliss and here it is called the Conair InfinitiPro spin air brush.  I do as Trea does – I dry my hair with my ghd dryer till it is about 80% dry and then use the spin brush.  It catches hold of my hair nicely and works a treat on my shorter length hair giving me lovely smooth locks.  I highly recommend it – my only criticism is that it seems quite loud after the quietness of my ghd dryer – but the price point is significantly different too!

Infinit pro

So there we go – a vanity, a vegetable slicer and a hair styler – and like I said none of them can be worn so I’ve not broken any shopping rules yet – though admittedly I’m still trying to determine what those rules are for 2014 – I cannot subscribe to any kind of total abstinence.

Here’s my outfit from yesterday.  I bought the Only jeans back in the sale from ASOS before the Holidays.  I was trying to resist, but a couple of the AllWornOutBlog.com girls (here and here) and Avril all looked amazing in them, so I resisted no more.

Onlyjeans M&S shearling jacket

Boots – Petrol Rag & Bone Newbury boots (similar here) // Jeans – Only from ASOS (on sale) // Tank – H&M // Grey sweatshirt – ASOS // Jacket – M&S (old – similar here) // Scarf – Zara (old)

Today I used the InfiitiPro spin brush and hopefully you can see how much smoother and less curly my hair looks.

ASOS dress

 

Sneakers – Converse (similar here) // Leggings – H&M (old) // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

So now to watch the end of the football and do some menu planning for next week.  Let’s hope we don’t get iced in as I might have to crack the wine open in desperation!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Happy 2014!

I hope you all had a lovely New Years Eve and celebrated well – or like us had a lovely quiet evening in with family, music and good food.  Yesterday we went to friends for a fabulous day of celebrating and over indulgence, so today I’m starting my detox.  Yes I’m afraid I am one of those  January bores, planning a month of paleo eating and no alcohol.  I’m setting myself up by sharing this with you – but hey ho maybe if some of you out there are trying to do the same we can motivate each other!

Also it’s now January 2nd and I’ve now achieved 2 days of no online orders – pretty good methinks – **polish halo**;-)  Prior to that, however, I discovered one of the best sales around at AllSaints – one of my favorite stores – discounts up to 50% are on offer.  Here are my top picks – see if you can guess which I’ve ordered.

The gorgeous Bonny Cuban boot which can be worn with jeans, casual dresses or shorts.

bonny

The leather biker jeans are lush in this taupe color and just $210!

leathertrousers

I LOVE this classic AllSaints oxblood jacket – half price with several sizes left!

Oxblood

The Riviera dress has been a favorite of mine all year.

riviera

The Rubie dress is classic AllSaints draping.

rubie

You’ve seen me wear this several times and it’s been one of my favorite AW2013 pieces.

sweatshirt

This tee dress is gorgeous – I love the suede paneling on it.

tee dress

The Verna gilet is a steal now and such a classic.  A great addition for a simple jeans and tee outfit.

Verna

It really is one of the best sales I’ve seen around – great reductions for classic wardrobe staples.  and I always love AllSaints quality too.

Check out ASOS as well  – right now they have 70% off certain items including some new stock!  The oversize shift I’m wearing below is now only $19!  My Husband loved it and it is the perfect day dress – I was super comfortable in it all day yesterday and it was perfect for overindulging:)

DSC_0008 DSC_0012

Dress – ASOS // Tights – Marks and Spencer (nope you can’t beat them – I order several pairs each winter) // Boots – Steve Madden (old) // Coat – Zara

Off to drink my Kombucha and eat steak and cauliflower mash for supper!  Day one paleo done!

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

My picks of the sales.

So the sales have started and boy it’s a mixed bag – but as ever, after browsing the sites a couple of times, lots caught my eye.  Let’s just get on with it shall we?  Here are my picks of the sales so far!

First good old Marks and Spencer have 30% off women’s wear.  There are some fabulous coats on sale starting with my checked biker jacket reduced to £97.30.  I love this coat.

Checked coat

Another favorite of mine that I’ve resisted to date is this coat from the Best of British collection – now on sale – this will sell out fast now it has been reduced I assure you.

Cocoon coat

This coat is a similar style to the checked coat I have – but for those of you that love leopard.  If I didn’t already have a leopard coat from M&S bought a couple of years ago I would buy this.

leopard coat

Now for Mango – who I always think have some of the best sale prices.  I have just bought the following dress and skirt.  I think they are very Marant-ish and much more reasonably priced than any of the H&M collection.

This dress is just gorgeous worn in the winter with boots or with flats in the warmer weather.  It’s half price at $49.99.

mango dress

I actually ordered this skirt in a couple of different color ways.  It is so reminiscent of the ra-ra skirts I wore in the 80’s – I had a yellow one I adored:)  Again this is a skirt that can be worn in all seasons.

Mango skirt

I love shorts all year round, and these will be great with over-the-knee boots and black tights.

Mango shorts

Now for Zara.  Some of the reductions are pretty disappointing but I did manage to grab the ballet flats I’ve been drooling over – reduced from $99.99 to $59.99.  They’ll be perfect with the Mango skirts.  I was really disappointed to see Zara have started charging shipping here on orders less than $50, which just means I’ll have to throw some extra items – and return them obviously!

black flats Nude flats

Lastly from Zara – here’s one that no doubt most of you will hate but I LOVE this.  The denim boiler suit reduced from $119 to $59.

denim jumpsuit

Finally ASOS – I just can’t stay away from their site – there are so many great reductions!  This dress is perfect for NYE.

Baroque dress

Another gorgeous party dress is this oriental print dress.

Oriental print dress

I love the rose print on this midi-dress – really striking.

ASOS rose dress

I’ve ordered the next couple to wear with either my Golden Goose or my over the knee boots – they are great prices.

This oversized shift is just $31.

shift dress

This dress may not be to everyones taste but I love the layered sleeve look.  Again now just $31.

tshirt sleeves

Finally a t-shirt dress for the spring – yes I’m already starting to think sunshine.  No one would notice if it fell in your cart at just $22.

Tshirt dress

So go on share – what have you slipped in your closet from the sales while you’re finishing up the Christmas shopping?  Tell me I’m not the only one!

This week has been a party week for me.  It’s been fabulous catching up with some girlfriends that I haven’t seen for a LONG time.  Here’s what I wore Thursday night for a fun night out with some great girls that I’ve known since I moved to Atlanta nearly 14 years ago!

plaid

Boots – Isabel Marant pour H&M (eBay) // Jeans – Zara // Sweater – AllSaints (old – their sale is on too here) // Jacket – Zara (old)

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

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:)

 

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

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

Enhanced by Zemanta