OOTD: Spring Cream Mac.

Hello there. 

Thought I'd check in to say Hi. This is a quick OOTD from today. I've never had a cream mac(or infact cream anything!) in my wardrobe, since I'm not sure if the colour suits me. I also do not have much double breasted in my wardrobe either, since it makes me feel a bit top heavy. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone and go for double breasted and cream! The beauty of this mac is that it was £16 from ASDA, so I can experiment with something a bit new and not break the bank!

The scarf is from Sainsburys last year but I have since seen them on e-bay here. I think the pop of colour is needed in this outfit. I do like to see a cream mac as I think they look very fresh for spring and perhaps a bit grown up too!

Mac @ ASDA

Jeans @ Evans

Scarf TU @ Sainsburys

Otherwise life here has been steady. I went up to London a couple of weeks ago to swap some clothes with a few of the lovely London ladies. I didn't make BPSFW but by all accounts there were some teething problems with the event and perhaps a communication problem or two, which is sad to hear. 

I invested in some Alex Monroe Alouette Jewellery which I love! I also bought a top that I tried when up in London at the Evans shape event. I will post pictures soon. 

On the non fashion front I went to see Singin' in the Rain at the Palace theater in London, I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it.

On the baking front I made the hummingbird bakery lemon and poppy seed loaf today and can also highly recommend that too!

Bye bye for now!

OOTD: Evans Woven Back Jumper

More Evans stuff for you! I am really liking Evans clothes at the moment, having not gone too crazy in the sales I decided to treat myself to this jumper. I have always been drawn to things that are a bit different and this jumper was a breath of fresh air when I came across it whilst doing the 'new in' rounds! I must admit I did wait to buy it until I tried it on (I popped into Evans when I went up to London last week).

I have to say the sizing in Evans seems to have undergone a bit of an overhaul. this jumper is a size 18-20 and the jeans are size 20. The jumper is available here. I tried this size on in-store and wondered if it was too big, but then I tried on the 16 which did fit but didn't sit quite right, hence I went for the 18-20 in the end. I bought online in the 15% promotion, I also had a 10% off code which came in handy (basically it saved me the postage). If you are thinking of ordering from evans check style 369 as they carry some of the same styles but postage is free (sadly they didn't stock this jumper). The back "woven" material is pretty lightweight so I wore a top underneath for warmth but it feels lovely to wear and will be great in spring.

Incidentally the jeans are super stretch straight leg from Evans and I think they are great tucked into boots, they are closer to skinnys than straight leg but the super stretch means they don't go baggy around the bottom or crotch area, which is a problem that I often have with jeans. They are so comfy, alas they are pretty much sold out here (the reviews have binned them but I love them!). Still of you are close to a branch of Evans they might be worth a try. (still jeans are so personal so what's right for me might not be right for other folk!)

So overall wearability of this outfit was great, I sat in the car for a couple of hours, ran a quick  errand into town (without a coat!), went to the pub, had a pub meal (no unbuttoning required!) and then sat in the car for another couple of hours! Temperature control was great in all those places.

Jeans @ Evans

Jumper @ Evans

Black top @ H&M

Boots @ Evans (last year)

Bag @ M&S

Necklace @ Accessorize (bought years ago one of my ultimate favorites but its back again this season)

Evans Shape Event Spring Summer: Live Unlimited.

Yet again more proof that I am no model! These are the professional shots from the Evans shape event. I actually think they turned out pretty well (which just goes to show the professional's are just that!). This dress is from the Live Unlimited range, I have to say I might not have tried this dress on, for fear of it not suiting me but having seen these shots I love it and would love to delve into my dressing up box and accessorise it like crazy! I reckon this dress would look amazing with red lips and bright accessories. However the nude and gold look is very classy too. This dress was very easy to wear, I would perhaps like another inch or two of length on the skirt just to keep my modesty when seated! I would normally be more comfortable with a lower cut top rather than having my legs on show. I felt very sexy in this dress, alas this little black number will just miss out on valentines day, but if you can be patient enough to wait until 25th of March maybe Valentines day might happen twice!

Dress Live unlimited @ Evans

Shoes @ the Kardashian Kollection

Necklace and bracelet @ Evans

Tights = the only item of clothing that is actually mine!

Evans Shape Event

I would consider myself a hobby blogger, I don't tend to get out to many events but I was thrilled to be invited along to the Evans shape event. I took the day off work and swapped my 70 mile commute for a nice jolly into London.

Evans and I have had a relationship for quite a few years now, not any kind of professional relationship you understand, but since being a teenager I've visited Evans stores on a regular basis. My mum and I used to shop there together, then throughout uni I would shop with friends then as I've moved around I've always managed to find a branch to visit. I have pretty much always parted with my hard earned cash in varying degrees over the years.

In the last few years I've been a bit disenchanted with some of their wares, I know I'm not alone in this. So I didn't know what to expect from the latest collections. Bearing in mind I'm a very honest- yet polite gal i.e. If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all! I was worried

I might not like anything, but I did, I liked quite a lot as it turned out!

So on to some pictures: the room looked beautiful lots of racks of lovely clothes one or two nice canapes and rather a lot of fizz!

(above Scarlett and Jo)

The room was also dripping with fashion jewelry. (a personal weakness!)

I was totally delighted to be able to try on the clothes, lets face it most girls would be quite excited to swap the day job and be given free reign over a room full of lovely clothes shoes and accessories, plus professional hair and make up too!

I spent most of the evening in clothes and shoes that were not mine! 

First up (well last up actually) but one of my favorites is a print blouse with such great detail. The buttons on this blouse are one of those touches that plus size clothes has been lacking. The print is grown up and goes with denim so well. This top is sleeveless but I'm wearing a plain black top underneath. Incidentally the jeans are a recent purchase from evans and are the super stretch straight leg in sz 20 which so far I have found to be awesome.

On wards to this top (apologies for the terrible picture!):

I would never have tried this but I have to say I was really Impressed, it reminds me of the simply be dress that has been so popular in the blogophere. I am more likely to wear a shirt rather than a dress so this would be a better option for me. Once again no sleeves but the black ties in quite nicely with the black on the collar and front so I think it looks pretty good over a black top.

Next up black with embellishment, fairly plain top but paired up with a killer pair of shoes and a cool bangle and its a pub worthy outfit!

Onwards to a pretty cool maxi dress (pictured with the extremely stylish and lovely Danielle) This whole outfit is not mine! The jacket and incidentally the skirt that Danielle has on are both dark blue/black paneled stretch denim and I was quite taken by both items. The dress I would have teamed with a narrower belt just to get away from that under the bust look. Also how awesome is Danielle's necklace!

Once again I chatted to some of my favorite bloggers:

Hanna

Rivkie (SLiNK magazine) and Becky

Rosie

Bethany

I tried my hand at posing:

I am flattered to have a go but I am no model! I have absolute admiration for the creative talent and  models, to transform all that hair and makeup and clothing effort in actual usable shots is quite a skill!

How fantastic are those shoes?! They are part of the Kardashian Kollection, despite their extreme height I wore them for about ans hour and they looked so good with just about anything I tried on.

The only thing I don't have a picture of is a fantastic black dress from Collection, fingers crossed the professional shot came out OK. 

So my overall impression? I was rather taken by some of the Collection items, I will be keeping a look out for that fabulous little black dress. Blues seem to be on their way in for spring summer which excites me.

I really liked that I was asked questions about the clothes. In particular the ladies asked me about skirt length of one of the dresses, this was really important to me because the small details can make or break a garment. The chance to chat about clothes was great. 

Champagne, canapes and photography aside it was all about the clothes, and I would be more than happy to part with cash for some of these garments.

One last shout out to Claire a lady who managed to make my hair curly and fabulous and my face not pink and flustered for the camera:

So that's pretty much it, I will just leave you with a couple of (poor)shots(apologies!) of the Aluoette jewelry. More shiny things!

Christmas OOTD, DIY!

This year I decided to make my own Christmas party outfit, I found this amazing poinsettia fabric whilst I was up in Hull back in October. I took inspiration from the 50's as I feel most comfortable in this kind of cut. I took a dress that I already had(from new look!) and made a pattern with dressmakers pattern paper, then I just got stuck in with the scissors and the sewing machine!

As for the party it was great fun, there were far too many seriously bad drunken dancing pictures. 

Hope your parties have gone down well!

Dress handmade

Shoes @ M&S

Belt @ Next

Shrug @ Evans

OOTD: New Look skull print top

Howdy folks,

Too long has gone by without a post! Things here are OK, winter has truly set in and a lack of daylight and seemingly working all the time makes it hard to get good outfit pictures. I haven't bought a lot in the past couple of months, until a couple of weeks ago when I went a bit mad and bought a few new things! I decided not to buy a new Christmas party outfit this year so got a few ordinary clothes instead.

Anyway this top is from New Look, I actually went and tried a few things on whilst visiting a friend. I really enjoyed actual shopping since I don't live near a decent New Look anymore :-( This jumper is a sz20-22 and is nice and roomy. Skulls are not something I thought I would wear but I actually surprised myself! My friend Em bought the same top(in the main sz line) in silver.

Top @ New Look

Jeans @ Evans

boots @ Evans

 We also have a new member of the family. May I introduce Penny and she is very cute and fluffy! She is also developing quite a character. Aside from sleeping she loves chasing things, sitting on my chest as I try to surf the net and standing on my face whenever the opportunity presents itself!

OOTD & Where my Evans Boots have been!

Just a quick OOTD from yesterday. We went for a bike ride to the village pub for lunch, given that I wanted to look respectable when I got there I decided to ditch the usual trainers and jeans for my nice new top from Next, purple Jeggings from Sainsburys and Evans knee high boots.

Boots @ Evans

Top @ Next

Jeggings @ Sainsbury's

I tried on a pair of purple skinnies in Evans but I was a little on the fence, I kinda wanted to try out the purple skinnies trend but decided to leave it then I came across this pair of Jeggings in Sainsburys (for half the price!), they are a size 20 and I decided in a moment of madness to just give them a try, and they actually fit OK. Colour wise they go quite nicely with this tunic from Next (sz 22)

The pub is a couple of miles away but the terrain is countryside and involves quite a lot of hills, including a bit that is seemingly uphill in both directions! There was a fair amount of mud around so it seemed like a good opportunity to put the Evans boots through their paces. I have to say they did pretty well, the only niggle really is that the slight bagginess around the ankles caught on my chain guard a little, I really wish they fitted a bit closer in the ankles. Still I think the mud proves that I put these boots to the test and my feet remained warm and dry.

These boots have also been on a trip to see the long man of Wilmington in Sussex. We were at a wedding so I didn't really pack shoes for a hike, I did however manage to get from the car park up the hill to see him a bit closer. Once again these boots held up beautifully in the wet grass and my feet were comfy and dry. 

I guess I will just leave you with a cheezy tourist shot!

Jumper @ Next

Jeans @ Evans

Boots @ Evans