OOTD: Baby shower in Chi Chi

I have purchased 2 dresses from Chi Chi this Summer and after the first one I posted was so well received I thought it would be a shame not to show you the second! I wore this Nessa high neck laser cut prom dress to my friend's baby shower (blue for boy) a few weeks ago and got so many lovely compliments on it. It's so girlie and fun and completely effortless to wear!

Dress: currently £65 on Chi Chi London and ASOS

 

This dress gives you a great shape as it nips in at the waist and flares out in all the right places. The lining is nude, but gives a slight v neck illusion, plus it has built in support so there is no need for a bra.

With the mummy to be!

 

Have you ever tried Chi Chi London? I can't wait to have an occasion that would give me the perfect excuse to order another one of their dresses! 

OOTD: Workwear

With the heatwave we have been experiencing in London appropriate workwear has been tricky. I commute by tube each day so I am very sympathetic with most Londoners sweltering underground. However, at times like these the temperature in the office is arctic as the aircon desperately tries to overcompensate and ensure that the guys in their 3 piece suits are catered for. I therefore wanted to share some outfits from the last week of how I dress for work and try to remain professional (and not look like I'm off to the beach), but still comfortable.

The first dress I have been loving is a sale purchase from Ted Baker. It's very comfortable and though it has a lining the fabric is pretty stretchy so it never feels tight. The pattern is very Summery, but the demure length still makes it office appropriate.

Dress on sale from Ted Baker here

This outfit is super comfortable and easy to wear. The floaty fabric is cool, but the length of the skirt makes it work appropriate and traditional.

Top and Skirt from French Connection on sale here

 

The last outfit is a super comfortable dress from Reiss. It's light, but not at all see through. It moulds effortlessly to your shape and the side detail is very flattering skimming the contours of your body. It's not too short or too low for the office, but is not at all restrictive.



Dress on sale from Reiss here

 

I love Summer and the hot weather so I always try to make the most of it while it lasts... even if it is just in short lunch hour stints while I am stuck in the office, or walking between meetings. :)

Magdalene May Ball 2015

Last week the hubby and I attended the Magdalene College White Tie May Ball in Cambridge. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will see these posts pop up every two years. I love sharing these experiences with you all, especially when there is an opportunity to dress up! It’s funny to think that this year will be 10 years since we matriculated and here we are back again still feeling (and behaving) like teenagers.

Rather than going for a traditional ball gown (I wore a pretty big MaxMara number to the last one) I decided to switch it up with something a little more sleek and form fitting.

The India dress from Forever Unique was on sale in two different colours (purple version from ASOS here). However, as I wore a purple one shouldered gown (from Coast) four years ago I decided to try the emerald green. I absolutely loved the heavy embellishment on the sleeve of this dress and its overall shape.

Of course the material of these types of dresses is always quite thin so you can see every contour, making a tactical choice of underwear a must!

For makeup I did a very simple smokey eye using the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. I made sure that the look lasted all night by using a really long lasting foundation (Mac Studio Fix) and setting it all carefully with powder (I used a combination of MAC MSF natural and ELF Mineral Glow powder). I finished the look off with false lashes from Eyelure (Cheryl Girls Night style).

 

For hair I used the Babyliss wide barrel tong (Glamour Waves) to create large curls. I then clipped the bottom sections while getting ready to ensure they had more texture and gently curled the top section at the end so it looked smooth and sleek.

It was a wonderful night of champagne, street food, music and dancing with the Fratellis performing.

We bumped into so many alumni from our university days and it was really fun catching up with them all!

I made it from sunset to sunrise! Hopefully we will be back in 2017!!

OOTD: Country Wedding

A few weeks ago the hubby and I attended a lovely country wedding to celebrate the union of our university friends! The wedding was very sweet with lots of homemade aspects and family members arranging flowers and baking cakes to make the newlyweds' special day unique and very personal.

Dress from Reiss (Marte in blue), bag from Chanel, fascinator from TK Maxx, shoes from Melissa.

I wouldn't normally choose jelly shoes for a wedding, but as there was a mile walk from the church to the reception in a marquee with a high likelihood of rain I decided to be very sensible (and waterproof)! They were also super comfy so I could dance into the early hours... and we did!

Being May the evening was very cold so I definitely brought lots of layers - cardigans, scarf and this pretty (also waterproof) laser cut cream trench coat from Warehouse.

 

Such a lovely day!

OOTD: Chelsea Ivy Garden

This weekend the hubby and I visited the Chelsea Ivy Garden for a spot of afternoon tea! In keeping with the garden theme I thought this would be the perfect time to dress up in my new floral number. The sunshine in London was glorious, but it did make photos a little bit of a challenge so I apologise in advance for my squinting.

 Dress: Chi Chi London Shauna (mine was from Asos)

Shoes: Roberto Cavalli

Bag: Chanel

Sunglasses: Tom Ford Celia

This dress is so much fun to wear. The off the shoulder cut of the top gives it a really vintage feel while the high low hem makes it fun and a little more modern. This kind of bandeau/ bardot neckline is so popular right now and while I think it looks lovely it is a little restrictive (especially if you have been working hard in the gym getting your arms toned). The fabric is quite stiff so it keeps its shape well and gives a lot of volume to the skirt!

We had a lovely champagne afternoon tea at the Chelsea Ivy Garden. The service wasn't the best, but the food was good and it's definitely a fun place for celeb spotting. The location is special for us as it's very close to the church we got married in so I am sure we will return for a Sunday post service brunch soon! :)

OOTD: Meeting Christian Louboutin

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by the fabulous Christian Louboutin as part of the Vogue festival. Christian is an amazing character with real vivacity and passion for life. He is incredibly charming, inspiring and his energy is just infectious! I would definitely recommend meeting him or attending any of his talks if you get the opportunity to do so as he is just wonderful and gave me all the more reason (as if I needed any more) to love the brand that he built through his talent and hard work.

Since my Saturday mornings are usually spent at the gym this was a rare chance for me to dress up so I decided to try something a little different! A little nod to the festival theme, despite being set in central London in the rain...

I paired a heavily beaded sheer tunic/ dress from Karen Millen (worn with a slip underneath) with some grey suede boots from Russell & Bromley. Sadly I couldn't wear any of my Louboutins as it was raining and I just couldn't bear to ruin any of my precious pairs! As beautiful as they are they do need a lot care!

I have had these R&B boots for years and honestly they are the most comfortable pair I have ever owned. Despite being suede they have lasted really well. I was running about in these from 10am till late, which I very rarely do in heels! I am currently lusting after their over the knee version as they have a very similar structure and look absolutely amazing! I need to start saving!

OOTD: Date Night

This week my usual 7pm Friday conference call (love working across time zones!) was rescheduled so the hubby and I celebrated my unexpected evening freedom with a long overdue date night!

Dress: Roland Mouret for Banana Republic

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

OOTD: Easter

 

 Dress: Whistles (on sale on Asos)

Shoes: Melissa

Bag: Chanel

Hair: curled in small sections using the Babyliss Curling Wand Pro

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter break!

OOTD: A little Alexander McQueen...

Many of you have messaged me to request a few more OOTD posts in addition to the myriad of stream of consciousness photos I upload on my Instagram (@NatalyaFGM). So, I thought I would start with this fun one from last year on my Birthday! Since I'm not getting any younger I thought I would put together something a little more different to celebrate turning 25... again ;p.

It all started with the dress! I spotted this Alexander McQueen envelope dress in an outlet mall near Florence of all places. Despite it being heavily discounted I needed some convincing as I didn't think it was particularly flattering (there are about 600 folds of fabric at the waist, enough to make a tent), but in the end I decided that it was a piece of art worth investing in!

A few months later I still hadn't found an occasion to wear my first Alexander McQueen purchase. It was a little too short and eye catching for a wedding and the UK was getting colder by the second!

In the meantime I had come across these fabulous Carvela Kurt Geiger Gylda lace ups that I like to think of as a grown up gladiator. With their sharp high heel and cut outs the hubby instantly got excited and offered to purchase them for my Birthday. He rarely has any opinion on shoes, other than ranting that I have far too many (which is true), but given his enthusiasm I knew these must be pretty special.

So when my Birthday finally came around at the end of October I decided that it was time to try out the two most adventurous items in my wardrobe... despite the cold and rain! As Miley so wisely put it... it's our party and we can do what we want!

OOTD: Rehearsal Dinner

Today's post is a little outfit of the day from my rehearsal dinner. I had about 15 mins to get ready after our church rehearsal so I quickly tonged my hair with the Babyliss conical wand and refreshed my makeup using the Urban Decay Naked palette and a slick of The Body Shop gloss over MAC's Costa Chic lipstick.

 

I picked up this bright mint gradient/ dip dye maxi dress in the Ted Baker sale and think it works perfectly with my tan by James Harknett.

 The secret is out... I have a twin!

Apologies for the deer in headlights expression... but I was unashamedly nervous/ exhausted/ excited/ apprehensive/ happy!

Magdalene May Ball 2013

With a full time job and a wedding to save up for it's not often these days that I get to have a really extravagant night out. However, the fiance and I decided that this year we would once again return to the Magdalene May Ball and indulge in some nostalgia.

I chose a black MaxMara Pianoforte ball gown that has been hanging in my wardrobe for the last 10 years! The last time I wore this I was 16! It was a special gift from my mama to wear for my first ever ball at school and having carefully preserved it for a decade I decided that this would be the perfect time to revive it. The dress itself is pretty simple as it is made up of layers of black material. The netting underskirt really gives it the vavavoom, however it can feel a little overwhelming so I tied the belt in a kimono style (tying it around twice with a bow at the front) to add some definition to my waist.

I paired it with simple black heels that had soft feather detailing to match my feathery ASOS bag. I also kept jewelery very minimal as such a classic dress requires very little. I finished off the outfit with a simple diamond tennis bracelet and long Swarovski crystal earrings.

 

For my hair I used my trusty Babyliss rollers. I decided on a half up, half down style to ensure my hair stayed in place all night and secured it at the back with a beautiful silver feather comb the fiance got me for Christmas. When it came to makeup  I reverted to form with a silver and black smokey eye topped with false lashes. 

We had such a fabulous night! Though I didn't quite make it all the way to the survivors photo at 7am, especially after being at work during the day, I am so happy we took a little time out of our busy schedules to sample all the delights that were on offer!

As much as I love having a career I do sometimes miss those carefree student days! Going back to work felt very sombre the next day. Oh well, time to look forward to 2015! xxx

It's a Nice Day for a...

This weekend I travelled north to attend a wedding of a school friend. Since the fiancé was hard at work on night shifts at hospital I was flying solo, but it was so much fun to spend some time with the girlies!

Since we stayed in a nearby hotel we were able to indulge in a little beautifying in the morning, which obviously some us enjoyed more than others... I used the Babyliss Pro Curling Wand to create voluminous curls on myself and a side sweep finger curl wave on my friend.

With a long day ahead I decided to keep my makeup mostly neutral, with just a hint of purple to reflect my dress. Over the past few weeks I have also started using Lilash (about 3/4 times per week) and was surprised to see that with a good coat of Max Factor's False Lash mascara I didn't even have to apply falsies as my lashes have really grown.

For my outfit I chose a breezy, 50's style one shouldered dress from the vintage line at Oasis. I love the soft raw silk, the ruched detailing and the built in net slip to give the skirt lots of volume and movement. I paired it with nude strappy Mary Janes and a nude leather jacket from All Saint's as it was quite a chilly (and unfortunately rainy) day.

The wedding was absolutely lovely, just the way an English country wedding should be! I am very much looking forward to the beginning of wedding season and also planning my own special day :).

I hope you all had a great weekend my lovelies! xxx

Work It Out: Lace

On Friday my fiance and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! Since I had to go straight from work to play (pre-theatre dinner at The Balcon followed by Viva Forever) I did make a little bit of effort to make my outfit less boardroom boring, while still being office appropriate. I decided to pair a a feminine, form fitting lace dress with a more formal structured peplum jacket.

 Lace dress: French Connection, Peplum jacket: LK Bennett.

I also blow dried my hair using the Babyliss Big Hair in a side swoop, giving my hair a little more volume and bounce.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! xxx