New Shoes!?

Even though I am currently trying to control my spending (trying being the operative word) I can never let a Kurt Geiger sale pass me by without at least one iddy biddy purchase. After my friend made me count the number of shoes I own that I have either never worn, or only worn once, my shopping guilt has trippled, but when I saw these beauties I decided that it would be a credit card kind of day. Ooops!

These are the Kurt Geiger Assemble stilettos (now £85 down from £120 here). I love the high, elegant heel, the bow detail and the deep cut.

My justification was that they are perfect for work and go with all my little office ensembles... but unfortunately I am now staring in lust at the glittery white and blue versions too. I need professional help!!

Am I alone in my shoe obsession? Have you got your eye on anything in the Kurt Geiger sale this season? Do you know a shoe addiction when you see one? xxx

OOTD: Symmetric Florals

Zara is pretty amazing this season. I have practically banned myself from going in as I always leave with something. I just can't help myself! Sometimes I can be indecisive, but having eyed this dress (£49.99 here) on the rail on three separate visits I decided that it had to be mine.

Although I absolutely love the pattern and the bright colours of this dress, the cut is not super flattering if you are a little bit top heavy. The deep cut outs can really broaden the shoulders, so you have to be careful with your proportions.

I decided to play up the green accents in the dress, while working the pastels trend with a pair of pistachio heels from Roberto Cavalli (purchased in the US for a ridiculously discounted price).

Please excuse my pale post winter legs!

I have been on the search for the perfect Summer leather jacket for months and this buttery soft All Saints Carmine waterfall jacket (£350 here) is just perfect. With fabric inserts in the sleeves, a fitted cut and unique button detailing there is nothing I don't like about this jacket... except perhaps the price!

Have you picked up any cute pieces in Zara recently? xxx

OOTD and Competition: London Boy

Don't be confused by the title of this post, I haven't quite embraced masculine tailoring, but I am getting a taste of River Island's new London Boy collection!

To show off the wonderful shape of this tube midi skirt I decided to keep my look monochromatic and set it off with some ah-mazing turquoise suede boots that have been sitting in my bedroom waiting for an outing for months. Although stripes are not always the most flattering of patterns, especially on the hips, this skirt creates a beautiful, feminine shape with curves in all the right places ;).

 Leather jacket: Reiss (similar here)

Black vest: Zara (£15.99 here)

Tube skirt: River Island (gifted, £18 here)

Patent leather belt: ASOS

Tights: M&S

Boots: River Island (£100 here).

 Wool Felted Fedora Hat: New Look (On sale £6.99 here).

If you have been lusting after River Island's new London Boy lookbook why not enter their facebook competitioon here to be one of five people who will win the entire trend collection? All you have to do is click on 9 items on the postcard that inspired the collection.

I've already entered, so I'll give you a clue... the tube skirt I'm wearing above is one of them. Good luck my lovelies!

What do you think of River Island's London Boy collection? What are your favourite pieces? Do you dare to wear stripes? How much do you love those boots? I'm pretty obsessed with them ;p. xxx

Birthday OOTD

Last Friday was my birthday and though a lady never tells I can let you in on a little secret... it was quite a special date! In the evening we went for an amazing meal at Roux at the Landau in the Langham hotel so I decided to dress up a little for the occasion. As if I have ever needed an excuse!!

 Dress: Hobbs Fulham Dress (on sale here), Shoes: Manolo Blahnik.

For my makeup I kept the eyes very neutral with just black gel liner and false lashes. I then used a bright pink on my cheeks and lips - MAC's fuchsia blush and Barry M's lip paint in Shocking Pink (no. 52), which is  a great dupe for MAC's Girl About Town lipstick.

I had such a lovely birthday. Thank you to my mama and bf for making it so special! xxx

Work It Out: Fit and Flare

Taking advantage of the 20% off offer at Dottie P's on VFNO I popped in to pick up a couple of dresses from one of my recently discovered brands - Closet. I absolutely adore the deep, crisp purple shade of this dress and the cute fit and flare style. A more wearable (in the length) and ladylike version of the skater dresses that have been replicated by a number of brands in a rainbow of colours.

 Dress: Dorothy Perkins (£42), Patent Belt: Ted Baker, Patterned Tights: M&S, Boots: DP

As much as I like the colour and cut of this dress the fit wasn't as I had hoped. The waist sits much higher than I would like, which makes the little pocket flaps stick out, rather than fall flat on the hips. This does look a little unflattering as it makes you appear wider rather than creating a 'cola bottle' silhouette.. you win some, you lose some. So to create a better shape (and make it more work friendly) I paired this dress with a fitted, single button black jacket from Zara to cinch in the waist.

During the day I paired this outfit with patent and suede heels from DP. These are high, but comfy due to the t-bar strap, and at only £35 (here) they make a great bargain ;).

This is a fun outfit to take you from day to night - happy Friday my lovelies!!

Are you wearing flared dresses this season? What colours are you adding to your winter wardrobe? Have you tried Dorothy Perkins' Closet range? Any pieces you would recommend? xxx

Mad Hatter's Tea Party: OOTD

This Saturday prosecco, cucumber sandwiches, cakes and popping candy were on the menu as some of my work girlies got together for a Mad Hatter's Tea party at the Sanderson to celebrate one of our colleague's bdays. Keeping our lovely garden venue in mind I decided to dress for the occasion in a summery, floral maxi dress.

 Dress: Miss Selfridge. Shoes: New Look. Ring: Les Nereides.

The pattern of this dress is somehow reminiscent of the Moschino lemon print dress that has diffused throughout the high-street, most notably in New Look's version below.

 

                  Moschino                        New Look (£29.99)

I absolutely adore the shape of this dress with its flattering neckline, girlie bow tie at the back and slit sleeves. So many girls are conscious of their upper arms as they are notoriously difficult to tone, so a draped sleeve may be the perfect solution for the Summer - creating a more wearable twist on the 70s trend and keeping you cool, while covering up the bingo wing ;). 

The new shape for Summer 2011 is definitely a chunky heel, so I chose to pair this dress with some brown wedge heels that are not only super sturdy, but also surprisingly comfy! New Look have a great selection of affordable shoes, and every time I pop in on my lunch hour I am tempted ;).

What trends are you loving at the moment? How will you be adapting them to fit your style? xxx

Rollasoles for Red Nose Day

This year, Rollasole are doing their bit by donating profits received from their Paint the Town Red roll-up ballet pumps, to Comic Relief.

I have a similar pair, which I refer to as my contingency shoes. They are perfect to slip in your bag for a day of shopping or dancing, especially if you are wearing heels and know your tootsies will be tired before the day is through! For just £6.95 each why not paint the town red for charity?  

Leopard (Take 2)

I must be in a very leopardy (yes that's a word!) mood lately! Last weekend as I was heading out for drinks I went for a statement animal print dress, paired with simple black patent tights.

Dress: ASOS. Black tights: M&S. Shearling boots a la Burberry: New Look.

You can just see the leopard boots peeping out in the corner lol. Is anyone else on a leopard kick at the moment? What are your favourite pieces? xxx

OOTD - Red Velvet

It feels like I haven't made an OOTD post in a while, so here is a fun one from this weekend. Although I found the sales quite disappointing this year, with stock that had been in the shops 4 seasons ago suddenly popping up on the rails, there are always items that tempt me. When you are feeling a little sensitive about a few rounder edges that have developed over the festive season (I know I am!), but need a couple of new outfit injections, there are still shoes! There will always be shoes!

Shirt dress - courtesy of Love (find it here), camisole (just seen) - M&S, stirrup leggings - ASOS, shoe boots - Office.

With my toes tactically on display in this weather a warm jacket was a must!

 Tailored leather jacket - Reiss.

Completely impractical, but I adore them! Surprisingly they are the most comfortable heels/ wedges I own as they are extremely light. The moment I put them on my feet immediately felt at home. I know these shoes will not be to everyone's taste, so feel free to let me have your opinions ;). xxx

Making Room for the Turkey ;)

On Saturday night I was celebrating Christmas with my first turkey feast of the season. It has become a little tradition over the years for me to have a celebration with all my friends before we disperse all over the continenents to our respective families. Luckily I wasn't cooking, so all I had to do was pop on a party dress (with plenty of room in the key area) and toddle off.

I chose a simple, sparkly dress from Miss Selfridge (currently having 30% off sale here) - note the ribbed material has plenty of stretch ;). I teamed it with plain black leggings and the cutest boots from New Look (50% off sale across the site here). Who needs Burberry when you have these beauties?

I hope you are all having a lovely run up to Christmas... my jeans are already getting tight.. eek!! ;) xxx

Delicious shoes...

I'm not too sure if they taste good, but judging by their name (they really are called delicious) and appearance I would not be surprised if they did ;). They are from Carvela, and can be found here on their website.
I spotted these babies yesterday in Harrods on sale from £75.00 down to £39.00 and had to have them. I have needed a new pair of black shoes for a while as my former go-to heels are hideously battered after too many nights out.

My pictures really do not do them justice as on the foot they are truly adorable. The bow detail and the cut out on the side make them a perfect pair of smart, yet girly black evening heels, without any tackiness or too much bling.

I haven't been this excited about a pair of shoes for a while, perhaps it is because I know I will wear them frequently as they go with so many of my dresses. Many shoes that I buy on sale are an impulse purchase and after the initial thrill they are lovingly tucked away in my wardrobe never to be seen again. I have them all lined up in rows like brave little soldiers, waiting for their first battle with my feet. Though far too often I feel that wearing them will ruin them (usually true) or I just can't face the wearing in process, which usually results in feet so sore and blistered that I can't walk properly for a week (yup, the shoes win).

These, I tell myself, shall be different!

I may have mentioned before that KG, along with Carvela are my favourite high street-ish shoe designers. They are having a massive sale at the moment and their website features all the latest deals.... there is 51 pages of sale and I have been drooling over many of them for a while! It is deffinitely worth a look, and although I do not recommend ordering them from the website, as shoes are definitely something you need to try on, at least you can have an idea in mind of what you are looking for on your next shopping trip. I find those racks of sale shoes really confusing (mostly because I want them all), so it is always great to plan ahead :).

Good luck girls!
xxx

It has been so cold recently, but when they said it was going to snow I didn't quite believe it! I was proved very wrong on Sunday night! I was out for dinner for a friend's birthday and had the most horrendous time trying to get back home in the blizzard.. maybe it was something to do with the completely impractical booties I had chosen to wear ;)