Tag Archives: Zara

Winter is well and truly here

It’s been so mild till now that I’ve been a little frustrated that I haven’t been able to get well and truly wrapped up. Well all that has changed today as it won’t get above freezing till Friday – brrrr! Is it wrong to be already wishing for Spring Break?

My outfits for the past 3 days have really been all about comfort what with sitting in a cinema then heading back to work. Nothing too challenging this week, at least till I adapt to that 6 o’clock alarm again.

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Jacket – Mango (similar here in sale) // Jumper – TopShop // Trousers – Zara (now on sale) // Sneakers – Nike from JCrew

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Cardigan – ASOS (now on sale) // Jumper – Uniqlo cashmere tunic (on sale) // Jeans – Zara // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew (similar here)

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Boots – Isabel Marant for H&M // Trousers – J.Crew drapey wool joggers // Jumper – J.Crew (on sale plus extra 40% off with STYLE15) // Hat – cashmere beany on sale // Scarf – Uniqlo cashmere scarf (similar here on sale)

Into week 2 with no alcohol – my body doesn’t know what is going on – but my waistline is benefitting!

 

 

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)

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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!

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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.

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

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

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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:

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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.

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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!

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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!

 

Off to Birmingham

Not the Midlands of the UK, but Birmingham, Alabama. It’s only a couple of hours drive away and Poppy has her first AllStar Cheer competition there tomorrow. We decided to drive there with friends tonight so we can rest well before the early start tomorrow morning. I am not sure who is more excited me or Poppy! Sequins, makeup, bows, music and tumbling – what’s not to love? Poppy is a flyer too so I am particularly proud of her as she is so brave with her stunts! I promise photos of all the chaos soon – keep an eye on my Instagram account for live updates. I assure you this is going to be a HUGE culture shock of me – think pageants combined with gymnastic recitals and you might be close to the scene we will encounter. I expect some Moms will be totally into it 🙂

Here’s a couple of quick outfit updates before I head out of the door.

Yesterday I wish I had worn something warmer!

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Boots – Newbury Boots // Jeans – Zara // Polo neck – Uniqlo Merino // Gilet – AllSaints (old – more items added to end of season sale here)

Today I have learned my lesson and the puffa is out.

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Sneakers – Stan Smith // Jeans – Zara // Jumper – TopShop (old) // Jacket – Zara (wow currently half price darn it!) // Scarf – Boden

Wish us luck!

 

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!

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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 🙂

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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!!

 

Christmas has arrived

Yes our household is now the proud owner of a tree. Our school doesn’t have a tree sale so we support another local elementary PTA each year and get our 9 footer from them. I refused to let the kids decorate last night as the tree was wet and I didn’t want them electrocuted while we were out. That didn’t go down well with them at all, so this morning I was verbally assaulted from 7am onwards with “mommy get up! We want to do the tree”…I tried to hide under the duvet after a late night out but it didn’t work. My kids are relentless.

Another sign that Christmas has arrived is that our elf, Maximus, has also returned. Lying in bed the other night, about to fall asleep, my Husband sat up with a start – ‘f*ck’ he said.

What, what, what?! Have we left the gas on? Have we forgotten to pay a bill? Have we left the children somewhere?

No – worse than that – he explained – “I haven’t moved the f*cking elf”

Mango 2 Mango jacketShoes – Gucci fringe loafers // Trousers – J.Crew // Tee – Zara (old) // Jacket – Mango // Bag – H&M

On Thursday I had my monthly trip to the salon. I wanted less length on top and went for a more textured look, along with a lighter color to highlight my faux hawk. I am pretty darn happy with how it turned out. I got to wear my new Boden Off Duty sweater. I absolutely love this year’s version – the knit is looser and it drapes nicely, the sleeves are also longer. It’s the perfect winter jumper.

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Shoes – Golden Goose (similar here on sale!) // Jeans – Zara // Sweater – Boden Off Duty jumper // Fur – Zara // Bag – H&M

Last night we went out for dinner – maybe our last night out together before Christmas what with parties, cheer competitions and the arrival of relatives. We had a fabulous evening as always. Stella joined me for the photo session but quickly lost interest.

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Dress – AllSaints // Boots – Stuart Weitzman Highland

I was very excited before we left as the tree had arrived!

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Today my elves have been dressing the tree while I hold the sofa down exploring our new Hulu service – I am obsessed with all the British shows we can now watch!

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Before I head back to the sofa make sure you check out AllSaints this weekend – their sale has started in the US and in the UK there is 20% off coats and leather jackets till tonight with code WINTER. Enjoy!

 

An ode to Emmanuelle – again…

I have spent many evenings on Pinterest searching, pinning and ogling at her image…yes I think I could almost be classified as obsessed with her – ‘her’ being Emmanuelle Alt, the Editor of Vogue Paris. No matter how many times I see her image I just melt and think how easy she makes looking fabulous. She definitely has a formula but the pieces she wears are always simple and understated.

A jacket is a must – whether it be a fur, military style or simple blazer. Rarely seen in skirts she relies on ankle length jeans, harems and occasionally flares. Her shoes are always fabulous – simple courts, flat booties, over the knee boots or (currently what I am most obsessed by) lace or mesh booties – often peep toes. All paired with a simple tee or white shirt and a classic belt. Now why can’t I get it right?

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Personally I think my love of clothes i.e. having too many clothes…means that I overcomplicate outfits, either to a) wear items that have been neglected or b) just by over-thinking an outfit. I have a substitute for everything she wears (no surprise), so my challenge over the next few weeks is to just take it easy, breathe, and relax, and then transform myself into an elegant, effortlessly stylish Parisian 😉

Oh and if anyone spots some wicked lace booties holler! These are the closest I’ve found…I love them, but they look super high for tottering across the Place de la Concorde.

 

zara bootie

 

Meanwhile back to reality here is what I have been wearing over the past couple of days. It’s blazing hot in Atlanta – how can it be 70 degrees on December 2nd? I’m not happy – a girl has furs and big coats to wear!

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Shoes – Office (sent by Eve!) // Jeans – Zara // T-shirt – J.Crew // Jacket – Mango // Scarf – H&M (old) // Bag – Zara

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Boots – Minnetonka // Trousers – Zara (old) // Sleeveless jumper – Everlane // Jacket – Gap (old – similar here)

So go on who is your style icon? I have more Pinterest boards to create!

 

Thanksgiving

I had a lovely week with family and friends and I have overindulged. Our friends joined us for dinner on Thursday and I have to say I was pretty chuffed with how the turkey came out after brining overnight. Needless to say on Friday morning I felt like I had been soaked in a bath of salt and wine too, hence I didn’t get too involved or carried away with Black Friday 🙂 In fact I had several items in and out of my Zara cart all day and didn’t buy any of them. I did succumb and buy the Off Duty jumper in charcoal and navy from Boden. I have a couple from previous years and love them so with 30% off I bit the bullet. I can never have too many jumpers!

Some of my favorite stores do still have great discounts this weekend carrying into Cyber Monday:

J.Crew – use HOLIDAY for 30% off and 40% off sale items till 11/30

Mango – use 5BLACK2 in the US and 5BLACK4 in the UK till 11/30

GAP are still offering 40% off everything in the US using code GIFT

Boden have 30% off using code 3K3G at checkout in the US and N9H6 in the UK

AllSaints – 20% off till Monday with promo code CYBER

ASOS have 30% off everything using TGIBF

Back on Tuesday we went to the movies to watch Hero 6 which was really good fun – popcorn and an empty theater – fabulous. I wore my fur as it was pretty chilly here in Atlanta.

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Sneakers – Golden Goose (on sale here) // Trousers – J.Crew slouchy wool jogger // Sweatshirt – Target (old) // Fur – Zara (currently in the Cyber discounted section!) // Bag – H&M (old)

Poppy and Hugh were very excited to get out of the house! Poppy is all in H&M except her fabulous red boots which are Boden – she hasn’t taken them off since they arrived!

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On Wednesday, once we had bought the 15lb turkey, we headed out for Mexican so we could prepare stuffing and cranberry sauce without feeling hungry!

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 Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew // Jeans – H&M (some washes just $14.95) // Jumper – J.Crew colorblock tunic // Coat – Mango

Today was spent walking and running with the dogs – time to detox before Christmas so hopefully I can still fit in some of my party wear! I am insisting however that we don’t even discuss Christmas in our house till next week when we get the tree. I need a week between celebrations to reset!

Christmas shopping

I LOVE Christmas shopping – even more so since I can be so productive online. I really do try and put some careful thought into gifting at Christmas – especially as I forget so many birthdays throughout the year! Here are some of my top picks for the special people in my life – some purchased and some not and I’m not saying which as they are hopefully reading my posts!

I find it especially difficult to select presents for the men in my life. This year booze is top of the list. As my family are in the UK M&S are always the best bet as I can pay here and designate a UK shipping address, plus they have a great selection of beers and wines.

A case of Aglianico is superb value at less than £39. There’s also 25% off now if you buy 2 cases – one for you and one for a gift!

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Another very special person loves his beer. This gift will go down a treat. A mixed case of IPAs and ales.

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My nephews are still really little but M&S have some great gifts for kids. I love this Gruffalo t-shirt and I know someone who loves the animated movie.

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My sister is going to hate me for this one – but at least it’s not a huge jar of beads like we received last year!

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My niece is only 3 but she loves clothes and princesses – well what girl doesn’t. Here are my choices for her this year.

A beautiful skirt from M&S which is actually very similar to Boden’s applique skirts:

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Or I also love the idea of this craft set to build your own princess!

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For the Mom’s and sister’s in our lives how about some sleepwear. Sometimes it might feel too intimate to buy sleepwear but when it is ‘lounge wear’ I think it is fine – especially when it is cashmere. I have these from last year and wear them all the time in the winter in front of the t.v.!

Rosie pure cashmere trousers:

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If pure cashmere is a bit too much for your budget then these cashmere blend pants are also gorgeous and they have all sizes available – last year I had to trawl daily to grab a pair as they sold out so quickly.

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J.Crew are fabulous for sleepwear and many of their items have 30% off here in the US with code SHOPNOW.

I love their whisper jersey collection like these sleep pants:

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and this nightshirt:

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For some proper Christmas pyjamas that can actually then be worn all year round I just love these buffalo checked shorts.

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Knitwear is always welcome in my house and this colorblock tunic is new in at J.Crew – I especially love the poppy color but I couldn’t manage to grab an image of that so click through here to see it! This is the burgundy and navy – classic for this season.

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I’ve been having conversations with a friend about this side zip cable sweater. It is gorgeous and again is 30% off right now with code SHOPNOW.

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I love this rib stitch turtle neck in electric red – totally festive but not a Christmas jumper!

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This t-shirt is a great gift for a good friend – full of color and really unique. The Donald Robertson Dancing Ladies tee.

 

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Now for some extra goodies that I just love and will make great gifts – I would certainly welcome them!

For the traveler I love this passport cover:

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I know several people close to me who would love to carry their jewelry in this.

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I just love this cup – it is basically all I can manage to say before my morning cup of joe.

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This bowl is so unique and they also do dinner plates. Absolutely striking.

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For jewelry and accessories I adore a great fur scarf.

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Anthropologie always have great jewelry that I know many of my girlfriends would be thrilled to receive.

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With 3 dogs I have recently become somewhat of an expert in scented candles. I have several on my wish list for Santa. I think these from Anthropologie are gorgeous stocking stuffers.

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A long list but by no means exhaustive! What are you shopping for this year?

I’m off to chill out after a brisk walk with the dogs. We have a week off for Thanksgiving and the whole family is excited. It’s our favorite holiday of the year – yup we’re totally American.

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Trousers – J.Crew drapey wool sweatpants // Jumper – Uniqlo mohair blend // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew (similar here) // Gilet – Zara // Bag – H&M

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Jumper – J.Crew (on sale plus 30% off with SHOPNOW) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza (on sale here!) // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew (similar here)

 

Funky boots

We all know I have an unhealthy obsession with boots – particularly ankle boots. This season I am smitten with all boots sparkly and patterned. It all began with these YSL boots in silver

YSL ankle boot silver

Or maybe the gold?

YSL ankle boot

472391_ou_pp Or maybe the knee highs?

YSL knee boot

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Or something totally go go girl:

YSL striped boot

Then I discovered these Valentino boots – how beautiful are these and so unique!

Valentino

It doesn’t help that I have been following Tiffany Wendel for over a year now and her Giuseppe Zanotti sparkly boots are freakin’ fabulous!

Tiffany WEndel

So the search began for something more budget friendly and I was surprised by the choice available. Firstly these Boden Soho boots are gorgeous – I love the height of the heel!

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A lot of sizes have recently come back in stock – plus there is 25% off with code 7Y2J

Zara also have a version that has a lovely profile.

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If you don’t want to go all over glitter then how about these from Kate Spade? The bow detail is adorable.

Kate Spade

Want something shiny but not glittery – then how about the Boden chic ankle boot in pewter – a fabulous neutral that can be worn all year.

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Moving on to patterned boots – and for me you can’t beat leopard print. It’s a great neutral and I love it paired with all black. These Newbury boots are on my Xmas list – I’ve sent my Husband the link and size 🙂

Newbury leopard

The Sam Edelman Petty is a great boot – so comfortable and classic.

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Ok so not patterned or glitter but I couldn’t help including this version of the Petty in Bone – just lush!

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The Boden Soho boot also comes in leopard – again I love the fact that the heel is covered too. Don’t forget that code 7Y2J.

soho leopard

Fancy something other than leopard print – then how about the Boden chic ankle boot in zebra? – I love these.

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For a knee high boot Boden have 3 fabulous choices with a heel to suit everyone. The pointed stretch boot is a whopping 30% off with the code 7Y2J.

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The block heel boot is seriously classy and fits nicely with the 70s trend.

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My personal favorite is the wedge boot.

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Just in case you have been astoundingly good this year and have yet to submit your list to Santa, or if not – just drool over them – look at these leopard print Valentino Rockstud boots!

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Here is my take today on the leopard print boots!

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Boots – Sam Edelman Petty // Jeans – Zara coated jeans // Jumper – Uniqlo merino polo neck // Cape – Asos

Bizarrely I had leopard on my feet yesterday too!

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Sneakers – Golden Goose slides (similar here) // Jeans – H&M (old) // Jumper – Boden Off duty // Gilet – JohnnyB (similar here)

What do you think about making your feet the star of the show?