Tag Archives: Rag & Bone

Playsuits.

It’s hot and sunny here, and Spring Break next week, so my thoughts have turned to all things short.  Quite literally.  I have been obsessing over playsuits.  Yes the name conjures all sorts of images from babies in onesies to some very questionable attire indeed.  I, as you know, rightly or wrongly, tend not to follow any fashion code or rules based on age (as an aside Frank Skinner blew my mind yesterday on BBC Radio 2 saying ‘denim should only be seen next to young skin’).  I wear what I feel comfortable, confident or even sexy in…and I will continue to do so till my time is up.  As I love my legs (yes go on you can be proud of your body instead of criticizing it all the time!) I love to wear shorts.  Combine my love of shorts with my love of jumpsuits and hey presto – the playsuit!

Marks and Spencer are just rocking my world right now.  I have ordered the white draped playsuit seen on Rita Ora here.  It’ll will look fabulous with my canvas Newburys or Ancient Greek Sandals.

Rita Ora white drape front

These other playsuits from M&S are perfect beach attire for vacation.  This tribal print is my favorite.

tribal

These simple playsuits are great for beach to bar and are great prices – the black at £22.50 and the floral at £25.

black floral

For something a little dressier this Lavish Alice playsuit is stunning.

Lavish Alice

So my only caveat is make sure a playsuit fits properly – it can’t be too tight or too short – and I prefer not to wear them with court shoes – I do think a flat or a boot balances out the flesh on show.

As for my outfits recently here’s one from last week pre-haircut and pre-soaring temperatures.

OAK collage.jpg

Poncho – Oak // Long sleeved tee – AllSaints (old) // Jeans – Boden // Boots – Black leather Rag & Bone Newbury boots

I love this OAK poncho – especially as I can wear it for Jedi training…

Oak 4.jpg

Then for this week as the sun has made an appearance so have some sandals along with my legs…

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Jeans – Zara TRF // Sandals – Pons Avarcas in Berry // T-Shirt – J. Crew (25% off with SHOPNOW) // Jacket – Gap (old)

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Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury (old – bought off TheOutnet.com last year) // Dress – Pia dress AllSaints

My Husband says my smile is broader and happier with my new hair:)

 

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Patterned pants.

I have blogged before about my love for patterned trousers.  They always seem to make a more prominent appearance in my closet at this time of year.  They are a great transitional piece – lighter than jeans but still providing coverage, plus it’s easy to incorporate some spring colors in an outfit with them.

Free People Marant Mollie King Patterned trousers

Images from Pinterest

I’ve only added one pair to my closet this season – these from Zara, who always offer an amazing array of patterned trousers.

Zara

I love any kind of animal print so these Marks and Spencer Per Una ones keep catching my eye – especially as they are on sale currently, with limited sizes left.

Per Una

Mango hit my radar last year when I picked up a couple of great patterned harems in their sale.  These are fabulous in this seasons collection.

Mango

I’d be buying this pair if I didn’t have my linen harems from last year.

Mango 2

Here I am in my Zara pants today.  Off to the Doctors, sniff, sniff, with a horrid head cold which I need to kick it into touch before our beach trip!

Zara and TopShop.jpg

Shoes – Marks and Spencer skate shoes // Trousers – Zara // Tank – H&M // Jumper – TopShop

Yesterday was also a day for some comfy trousers – these are the Next harems that I bought last year.  If you are interested in dipping your toe in the ‘harem pool’ – take a peek at Fiona’s post here – she’s picked some great ones to peruse.

French connection sweater.jpg Next jacket.jpg

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury navy suede // Harems – Next navy (last year – similar here) // T-shirt – ASOS forever t-shirt // Jumper – French Connection // Jacket – Next (old – similar here)

So patterned pants – will you be sporting a pair this season?

 

Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you imagined…

So the blonde hair…it’s going tomorrow.  I am going back to my roots.

After a week of scaring myself in the mirror and trying to make my complexion look less jaundiced, I’ve given in and I am going back to my roots tomorrow.  Glossy, dark chocolate locks here I come.  I wanted a change which is why I thought I’d try the lighter locks but, to be honest, with my skin tone I feel so washed out, and my hair is so dark that I already can see root growth.  The maintenance would kill me!

It was really after seeing the following photo that I decided not to persevere any longer.  I love this jacket but I look so drab and dreary in it with lighter hair.  I’ve also binned the shoes – I loved them once but again I think the pink/nude color does me no favors whatsoever.  If it ain’t broke don’t fix it – I should know by now to stick with my dark palette – in fact I should ask Donna over at I Won’t Wear Sludge Brown to do a color reading for me.

RI jacket

Shoes – Clarks Hamble Oak // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Sweater – Zara (old) // Jacket – River Island (old)

I am of course eternally grateful to my hairdresser for squeezing me in tomorrow before I leave on my trip this weekend!

Yesterday I was running some errands and I happened to nip into Neiman Marcus – as you do.  I rarely go in department stores as I think I’ve mentioned before I can find them overwhelming.  However, my eyes were opened by Neimans – what have I been missing!?  I had a quick look around the contemporary store – CUSP.  So many great brands like Vince, Rag & Bone, Alice & Olivia, Helmut Lang and even Isabel Marant – I had no idea there was a stockist here in Atlanta!  I may have found myself trying on some J.Brand leather jeans…just for size of course…for the record they fit big…I got into a 28″ because they are so beautifully stretchy.

I then headed to the shoe department – again I found my favorite Rag & Bone Newbury boots along with the Vince Nina flat that is back in an array of colors this Spring.  I was totally smitten by the sale shelf – I nearly cried with joy when I saw Isabel Marant boots and Chloé Suzanna boots less than half price!

Beautiful hairy Newbury boots in the sale:

Newbury

These Saint Laurent boots made me stop in my path – just stunning and they totally remind me of my Zara boots (yet to be worn).

SaintLaurent

 

So now I know what an Aladdin’s Cave Neiman Marcus is it could truly be catastrophic.  It’s a good job I don’t like mall shopping…

Today I had one last go at dealing with the blonde but headed back to my comfort zone when it comes to colors.

HM dress

 

Boots – H&M // Leggings – H&M (old) // Dress – H&M // Scarf – H&M (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (TheOutnet.com)

 

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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…!  🙂

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Weekend outfits & the Golden Globes!

I’m sitting here watching the Golden Globes red carpet – gee I wish I could wear a full length gown someday!  The last time I wore one was probably at my graduation ball in 1992!  I’ll pick some more of my favorites to share tomorrow but right now I am loving all the nude blush tones that I am seeing.

I love Michelle Dockery’s Oscar De La Renta dress:

Michelle Dochery

 

Lupita Nyong’O blew me away in this statuesque red dress with cape – no overwhelming jewelry – just tiny earrings and a couple of rings.  So stunning.

Lupita Nyong'o

I have to say Lena Dunham totally rocked it – and as uncomfortable as she claims to be on the red carpet – she is a pure gem.  I cannot wait to see the first episode of the new series of Girls tonight!

71st Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals

(image from http://www.justjared.com)

So as I watch the A listers arrive with Poppy – who happens to be the BEST ‘love it or hate it’ critic (she isn’t backwards in coming forwards!) – I thought I’d do a quick update on my weekend attire.

Friday was spent running errands but I was still inspired to wear a dress – even if it was a sweater dress.  In fact I love my 5050s so much that I have been planning whole outfits from the feet up.

Allsaints 2 Boots – Stuart Weitzman 5050 black suede // Dress – AllSaints (old – similar here) // Jacket – AllSaints Monument jacket // Tights – Marks and Spencer

Saturday I was fortunate to hang out with Hugh all day while Poppy went swimming with her Dad.  Hugh and I did some shopping at Whole Foods, cooked Korean beef short ribs, and then played LOTS of rounds of cards – the boy is obsessed and I am over it.  This was one of those days though where I got dressed and LOVED how I felt – every time I wear these Mango jeans I can’t help but feel like a rock chick.  Chrissie Hynde eat your heart out.

Chaps 3 Chaps 2 Chaps 1

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury classic black // Jeans – Mango // T-shirt – Zara (old) // Cardigan – AllSaints (old) // Scarf – H&M (old)

Today we headed out for lunch.  After the Polar Vortex last week we are now basking in 60 degree sunshine – it won’t last.  Following on with the rock vibe from yesterday, I really wanted to try something different today, so the flares came out.  I loved wearing them – they really are great for leg lengthening!  It was fun to have bell bottoms swishing around my ankles for a change.

flares 1 flares 2

jacket and flares jacket 2

Boots – Zara wedge boots (old) // Jeans – Hudson flares // Tank – H&M (old) // T-shirt – Bowie from ASOS (similar here) // Jacket – AllSaints (sale)

Hope you all had a fun weekend too!  Any sale bargains bagged?

 

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Warm and snuggly.

Some people (Sue I’m looking at you) like to keep new clothes, stash them away, then surprise us all with things they bought, quite literally, ages ago.  I on the other hand want to wear my new things immediately.  They need to earn their keep as soon as they come out of the box.

Jan 10th 1 Jan 10th

 

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury charcoal suede // Trousers – Zara pleather leggings // Jumper – Boden Off Duty sweater (on sale now) // Gilet – Verna gilet AllSaints (sale – all sizes now available!)

Okay my Husband asked me why I was wearing the bathroom mat – my sides were splitting – funny guy – but I LOVE my Verna gilet.  The texture adds a great dimension to an otherwise basic outfit, plus it is so soft, warm and snuggly.

Yesterday I was lazy, only because I had the luxury of working from home.  Minimal makeup and air dried hair resulted in this.

Jan 10th 2

 

Boots – Rag & Bone grey nubuck Newbury boots (canvas version for Spring here) // Trousers – JCrew velvet toothpick jeans // Sweater – Boden Westbourne jumper (some colors just $29.40 in the sale!)

I haven’t a clue what to wear today and I’ve just driven the kids to school in pyjamas much to their horror.  To be fair they do look more like sweatpants – but I wonder is that really any better?  I may have scarred them for life.

 

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Trying on the AllSaints haul, and spotting some Target gems!

Oh good heavens above – I can barely contain myself.  I LOVE it all.  Secretly I was hoping that some of the purchases from the AllSaints sale would have to be returned, but nope, it’s all perfect, what’s more I ordered all the right sizes too!  It arrived in four boxes so I felt like I was opening Christmas goodies all over again.  My UPS delivery man thinks I’m nuts the way I shriek with delight at him at the door.

Starting with my favorite – the Riviera dress.  I’d tried the jersey version earlier in the year but the jersey doesn’t drape as well and was far too revealing – at least on this old bird.  The silk however is still sexy but a little more conservative at the front.  Totally, totally love it.  This is a UK12 and fits perfectly even across the boobs.  All sizes still in stock and reduced from $330 to $132.

Riviera dress Riviera 2

 

Now for the splurge – I adore this jacket.  It is so heavy – such great quality leather and the oxblood is far less severe, yet equally as versatile as black.  It’s a jacket to be worn and worn – the older it gets the better it will look.  Reduced from $700 to $350 – and  again available in most sizes – this is a UK 12.

Oxblood leather jacket Oxblood jacket 1 Jacket close up

 

 

Now the Diego Tee dress in natural marl.  This comes up short – maybe too short for some – but I love it with these grey Newbury boots for the spring.  A fun way to get the legs out.  As a lover of suede I love the lightweight suede detailing.  It wipes clean easily with a dry cloth so don’t be scared of it.  The pocket is a single pocket that goes all the way through – make sense?  Reduced from $260 to $104 and I am wearing a Medium.

tee dress

 

Now I might just live in this over the coming weeks.  The Verna gilet is SO soft and snuggly.  This was a complete outsider when I ordered it – but I am smitten.  This is a M/L but to be honest I think a S/M would have been fine too – it doesn’t fasten so it does’t need to fit across the chest.  Reduced from a whopping $348 to $139.

verna gilet 1 verna gilet 2

 

Finally the Pia jersey dress.  I love AllSaints for their classic draping – and this is just perfect.  The skirt can be lowered or raised depending on how conservative/flirty you are feeling:)  There are several colors still available and I ordered both the gray and navy for a change from black.  It is reduced from $175 by varying amounts depending on the color – and right now it looks like all sizes in all colors are available.  It’s driving me nuts going to their site as there are still so many fabulous pieces in the sale and they seem to be getting more stock online from their stores!  This dress by the way is a UK 10 – I always size down in their jersey.

pia dress

 

I’m so happy with my purchases – all will be great through spring and the Pia dress and Riviera dress can be worn through the summer too.  See – forward planning!

Today the kids were out of school and I managed to nab a couple of hours to myself while they helped Daddy at work.  I was in Target doing the domestic shop when I spotted these gems – Target do some great pieces at times!

A fab sequin skirt – just $29.99

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A great quilted skirt with zip detailing – just $13.98 online now and available in black too. (Check out Fiona in her skirt here – she wore it Christmas day after picking it up on vacation here!)

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A shift dress in a similar fabric – just $24.99 – I love this and it is also available in black.

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This scuba dress is fabulous – no different from those that Zara offers – but a third of the price at $24.99!

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The final dress that caught my eye was this red and black checked shift.  How and why I left without it I have no idea.  The cold has gone to my head.  I can’t see it online anywhere but it was $24.99.

IMG_5267

Here is what I wore today to brave the polar vortex – I went for winter white and monochrome.

polar vortex

Boots – 5050 Stuart Weitzman black suede // Jeans – Target // Jumper – Boden cashmere polo neck (similar here) // Cardigan – H&M (old)

Then to go out I opted to add my Marks and Spencer checked coat (similar here) and cashmere beanie hat from Nordstrom.

photo

18 degrees Fahrenheit didn’t feel nearly as bad as I thought it would – it always helps when the sun is shining too!  Stay warm folks.

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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!

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‘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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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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