This weekend I have mostly been wearing..........

Neon of course!

 

Neon is everywhere at the minute and you'd have to be living under a rock not to have noticed. Now I have to say I've been more drawn to yellow and green neon tones as opposed to pink or orange neon, I'm just not a pink person really.

 

So as usual when I like something it becomes a bit of a full on obsession for me, so Saturday and Sunday both featured neon tops for me.

  

New Look jacket
River Island shirt
Zara Jeans
Zara boots

This was Saturdays outfit for the cinema. I get a lot of questions on these jeans every time I wear them. They are Zara 'Baggy' jeans which are now sold out on the website, but I actually got these brand new on eBay for half price at £15. So its worth taking a look there if your interested. Oh and by the way the sizing is really big, mine are and 8 and I could probably go down to a 6.

The blouse is from River Island recently, and seems to now be sold out too, it's a poor mans copy of an Equipment one that I'm mad about, but at the minute I can think of a thousand things I'd rather spend almost £300 on!

 

Boden top
F&F biker
H&M skirt
Zara shoes

Sundays outfit featured a bit of pattern clashing, I love a striped/floral mix, but then I'd wear stripes with almost anything! It's great being able to throw on a skirt now I have a bit of colour on my legs, thanks to our mini heat wave last week, although I still look white in the photos. I cannot be arsed putting fake tan on my legs unless it's a necessity. I'm lazy like that!

The citrus in this Boden top is now sold out, but I bought it in navy too as the quality is great, and my old navy Breton has just about kicked the bucket after two years. Other colours are still available here, and they are currently on sale at £17.50.

The denim biker jacket was a total bargain as I exchanged my Tesco Clubcard vouchers for it, so got it for a fiver, annoyingly seems to be sold out now too.

This is my favourite skirt, it's about a year old from H&M, it matches so many colours, so you can fire on almost anything with it. The shoes were a Zara bargain in the January sales, they're great as they're a little different than a basic pump and are a little bit dressier too.

If neon clothes are a bit too much, neon jewellery is a great way of doing the trend in a more subtle way, there are loads of neon necklaces and bracelets about at the minute. I have had to stop myself from searching for some so no pics of any, as I've imposed a shopping ban on myself for a while. We have a lot of things coming up in the near future, and I still have unworn clothes in my wardrobe that I need to get through. So I'm giving it a go, can't see it lasting too long but as they saying goes 'God loves a trier' !

Tx

Let me dress your bump

A lovely friend of mine recently asked me did I know of any maternity dresses that her friend could wear to a summer wedding. I never attended any weddings in my nine months but had plenty before and in the (close) weeks after, so I never got to do the whole dressed up while pregnant thing (apart from the odd night out), and if I'm honest I would have loved it. I love a wee fashion challenge, and picking out a fancy dress while pregnant would have been exciting to me - I realise I'm a bit sad, but hey that's how I roll!!

I was pleasantly surprised at the choice of dresses available, ASOS have an amazing selection of day dresses and occasion dresses at really reasonable prices.- because no one wants to spend a fortune on something that is highly likely to be worn just once. While having a wee nosey online I quickly realised that maternity dresses tend to fall into four main categories.

Lace - the lace dresses are a lovely dressy option which would be great for a more formal wedding or a wedding of a family member or friend. I love all the jewel colours here, but my favourite is actually the black one.

        John Zack £39.99       Tiffany Rose £169        ASOS £28       New Look £24.99    Tiffany Rose £125

Maxi - these are a great option if you are heavily pregnant as they tend to be more stretchy and comfortable, and of course if you have be blessed with swollen ankles a maxi is a great option to hide them, or even to wear flat sandals with, if heels are a bit too much.

 New Look £19.99     Tiffany Rose £225     Isabella Oliver £199     ASOS £45     Isabella Oliver £289

Print/Bodycon: I love a print and one of these would probably be my pick, I'm particularly loving the first dress. These will all have a bit of stretch so could be worn at various stages. They could also be dressed down for a party or BBQ with wedges or flip-flops for maximum wearability.

 £30                           £28                                £30                                £21                            £30

All ASOS

Rouched/wrap dresses: These dresses are on the pricier side, but they will also fit various stages due to the rouching and the fact that a lot of them can be tied to suit your bump. I love the first cobalt one which can be worn after pregnancy and is also great for breast feeding, so your getting a lot for your money. More muted colours are usually available towards the winter,such as black and burgundy which could be worn to work too - so it would be an extremely hardworking option.

 £119                       £129                         £115                                   £105                            £105

All Isabella Oliver

If your currently bumpalicious I hope there's something here for you, as I know some people can find it really hard to dress their bump, so I hope I've helped you cross one thing of your list anyway - yes I know you have a list!

T x

So excited and it's not even Friday

I love Isabel Marant and I love H&M, so what could be better than Isabel Maranta and H&M, well Isabel Marant for H&M of course!! That's right, Isabel Marant is the latest designer to team up with H&M to design a collection. Previous designer collaborations have included the likes of Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Jimmy Choo and Masion Martin Margiela.

I have never actually snagged any pieces from these collaborations before. They usually sell out within minutes online, but I sure as hell will be getting myself down to a H&M store for the unveiling of the Isabel Marant AW 2013 collection on the 14th November. 

So for those of you who don't know who Isabel Marant is, she's the genius behind the wedge trainer that inspired many a high street pair, and the Aztec patterned pieces doing the rounds at the minute? yep that was her too. Isabel Marant's signature look is a mix of Parisian/urban/casual chic with a bit of boho thrown in for good measure. 

I particularly love her jackets, they could be embellished, quilted or fringed but they all bring to mind that effortless casual style a of Parisan lady or an off duty model. Miranda Kerr is a big advocate of Isabel Marant style and is frequently papped in Marant's pieces. And who wouldn't want to look like Miranda Kerr eh?!  

Some of the pieces Isabel Marant is famed for.

Oh and she's not limiting it to women's clothes, she's doing a men's collection also, which is a first for her. So I'm hoping to pick up something stylish for the hubs, not that he will care either way but it will make me happy! 

Anyone else as excited as me?! 

Tx 

Who wears short shorts?

The smell of sun cream has to be one of my favourite smells ever, apparently there's a Yankee candle that smells just like it, that I definitely need. Why am I talking about suncream? Well, we have just had thee most amazing week weather wise and suncream was a frequent whiff around these parts.

I always have a problem with what to wear when it's hot, as I mortually HATE tan lines, although I have to say I do have a bit of a 'farmers' tan that I got during the week at work, but thats unavoidable. I really wanted to wear a lovely stappy top I have, but the strap lines would have been my worst nightmare. So today's outfit was a bit of a compromise, I decided to wear a nice floaty top when out and about, then strip down to a vest with straps tucked when I was in the safety of my friends back yard and throw on the ole comfy Havianas. Although I have to add the Next sandals are very comfy,  but if your thinking of buying them (which I know many people are) go for it as I can see these selling out as fast as so many people have asked me about them. They are also in black/animal print online and I seen a navy pair in store too - at £18 for real leather it'd be rude not to! 

H&M top
Primark vest
Dunnes shorts
Next sandals

The weather is set to take a turn for the worse come Tuesday, but lets hope that's not that the summer over for us! 

                                                                                   Tx 

Doing my best man impression........

So this week I was mistaken for a man. 

Now granted the old man who said it was probably close to 90, so maybe his eyesight wasn't the best - at least I hope that's what it was! But yes I do generally dress like a man during the week, jeans and a t-shirt are as good as it gets for me since I've left the comforts of the office recently, but hey at least I get to enjoy that weather in all it's glory and work on my farmers tan! This week we are having thee most amazing weather- seriously it's about 20 degrees every day and no rain in at least a week. This is extremely rare in Northern Ireland and needs to be fully embraced as this usually ends up being our entire 'summer'.

Back in the day when I first graduated I was on site for a good few years and this is probably when my love for fashion really took off, I was so god damn scruffy all week that by the time the weekends came I was fully ready for a weekend of dressing up and embracing my girly side. 

If you seen me in my site gear you would never believe I did a bit of fashion blogging on the side and likewise when people see me dressed up they never believe I'm an Engineer. I think it's strange that we seem to pigeon hole people based on how they look, but I suppose that's just human nature. 

So enough of my rambling, I have a neon based outfit to share from Sundays visit to Ikea (I'm a total storage junkie) and not much else really, as this week has mostly been spent in man's clothes (see above) workout gear or as little as possible to keep cool without being indecent and frightening the neighbours with my white legs.

H&M jacket

Boden top

Zara jeans

H&M pumps 

I'm wearing my Boden breton top that I got while Avril from School Gate Style was having her Boden party. It's my first ever purchase from Boden as I always thought it was a bit too 'mumsy' for me, but I have to say the quality is fab, it's now down to £18.75 and there are loads of other colours. I will definitely be going back for some staple items in the future like trousers or knitwear. 

The jacket was a total bargain from H&M at only a tenner, the jeans are Zara again, I've been living in both my Zara boyfriend pairs recently and would far rather have them over skinnies now.  The H&M pumps as shown in my last post were another bargain at £7.99, they have a lovely shape to the toe being ever so slightly pointed, which I definitely favour in pumps. 

The panic is now on as what to wear over the weekend, it's going to be hot and I hate tan lines, so it's going to be a challenge to say the least!




                                                                                     Tx 

The shoe round up

I had a bit of a mammoth shoe buying frenzy in the last week - eight pairs were bought in total!! I know, I know but I'm not buying clothes this month. Four are definitely staying, two are definitely going back, and two are undecided as yet. I know this seem like a lot of shoes but all my shoe needs (wants) are now met and I'm buying no more shoes for a good few months (I think!).

First up the shoes going back;

I was undecided on the white River Island boots, and they are also a little big on me anyway. I forgot I'd be wearing these with no socks so should have sized down really. But my new rule is if I don't love something straight away back it goes, so I'm sticking to that.

The black pointed pumps from Linzi are gorgeous, but they are tiny, and I know the next size up would probably be massive so back they go. 

On to the Zara knock offs, now I really like them and they are a pretty good copy but they are massive! You can see above how they are gaping at the back and sides. I'm sending them back and am going to hope the next size down does the trick, as I just love this style of shoe. 

Now the keepers; 

 

The Zara beauties are just as beautiful in real life, they're a perfect fit and really comfy, so they are definitely staying. They're not online in nude anymore but you can still get them in a gorgeous emerald green and electric blue.

 

The only Linzi ones I'm definitely keeping are another pair of Zara copies, these ones are in store at the mo. I love them and they quality is very good, and they're nearly half the price of the Zara ones- is that the definition of thrifty? Maybe not but it'll do me! They are very very high, but are still comfortable though.  

After talking in my last post about how I mostly wear the same tan sandals throughout the summer, I decided to hoke them out in preparation, and lo and behold I've only gone and lost one of them. I've searched high and low but to no avail. So I snapped up these Next ones during the week as they were nearly exactly the same as my old ones, and while I would love a pair of Sam Eldeman Gigi's, I think these are the next best thing. They are 100% leather and for £18 you can't go wrong, and I know they will last me a good few summers.

The leopard print pumps I had completely forgot about until they landed. I had ordered some stuff online for the wee man and thanks to H&M taking weeks to deliver the order I got a nice wee surprise when I pulled these out of the bag. They were only £7.99 and I have been meaning to get some pumps like this for a life time. There are tons of other colours in these too.

Looking at the photos I realise there's a bit of a theme here - nearly all the shoes are nude, tan or black which  are definitely my go to shoe colours and I'm sure there's hardly an outfit they won't go with so I know these will all get plenty of wear. 

 

Primark waterfall jacket
Tom Tailor T-shirt
Zara Jeans
Next sandals

The tan sandals got their first outing on Friday, once I came home from work. Nothing exciting just comfy and casual to run a few errands.

 

Next suede top
Zara jeans
H&M pumps
Michael Kors Rose gold watch

The H&M pumps were up next on Saturday. I found this Next suede top while delving into the depths of my wardrobe, tags and all on. I bought it when I was pregnant so it's at least two years old and only getting its first outing.

 

I have vowed to buy very little over the summer, I have so much unworn stuff still waiting to see the light of day so I'm going to try and shop my wardrobe instead of the High St!

 

Is anyone else like me and hoard stuff then forget about it??

 

Tx

Something a little different

You may have heard me mention before that we are currently building a house, the roof is going on soon, so it may look more like a proper house in a few weeks and not just a grey box. Now that it's starting to take shape my attention has been turned to the interior. Fashion isn't my only passion, no no no that would be too simple, I'm also have major love for Architecture and Interior Design too. Having started my studies going down the Architecture route, I veered off and somehow ended up as an Engineer. Now that I'm older and wiser I realise, I do love my job but there is a gaping hole where the Architect in me should have been. Luckily I get to sort of fill that whole by designing, building and decorating our house.

So how is this post related to fashion I hear you ask, well to me the two seem to go hand in hand. I find it really odd when someone who is very stylish on the fashion front tells me they are hopeless in styling their home. The two are intrinsically linked, fashion is all about colour palettes, textures, form and enhancing features, and I could describe Interior design in exactly the same way. 

A lot of my inspiration for a room comes from fashion, so you'll not be surprised to hear my current yellow obsession has heavily influenced my plans for our open plan space. 

                       

Grey is the base colour for the room, which I am going to use as the neutral, which obviously is also a great neutral in clothes too. The yellow and teal accents will provide a bit of a 'colour pop' as they say in fashion circles. 

Fashion has taken a back recently and my ipad is now not only full of fashion inspiration photos but interior ones, and wee room collages like the one above. Hours have been spent pouring over Pinterest and Houzz, which are unbelievable resources for a bit of inspo. 

So once I have the major rooms sorted out I'm sure I'll be back to obsessing about fashion, but for now it's all about interiors in my world!  Anyone else share my love for Architecture/Interior design?!

                                                                                T x