Friday, February 28, 2014

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2013/14 Save 60 | More Cobalt Blue

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Georgia Rose Venette blue suede ankle boot


Two shoe saves in a week – go me! Actually, I kind of feel like I’m cheating by saving new boots. Strictly speaking I don’t even need to save these as Amber changed the rules for this year and any shoes bought/gifted after the challenge began don’t have to be included. However, I’m playing by the previous years’ rules as any new shoes have always had to be included in the past, so that’s what I’m doing this year too. All my boots are now safe so I’m not too worried that I’m adding to my total. The challenge started in September when we were about to come into boot season anyway, so I have plenty of time left to save all my shoes.

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This gorgeous pair of blue suede boots was sent to me c/o Sarenza and is by Georgia Rose. I have a lot of shoes by Georgia Rose now, but that’s because they are well made and come in sizes that fit me. This pair of boots is a size 42 and is definitely true to size. This is another pair of boots where the zip is on the ‘wrong’ side, but as it adds to the design I don’t mind at all. A bright royal blue is one of my favourite colours so I was immediately drawn to these when I saw them. They have a chunkier heel than many of my shoes so I’m hoping that will mean they will be pretty comfy to wear too.

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In order to let the bright blue boots really stand out, I plumped for an all black outfit yesterday. I added my blue faux leather jacket instead of a heavy coat because it’s awesome and for some reason gets neglected in favour of my black or brown leather jackets. My hair was curly/wavy yesterday because I washed it Wednesday night and didn’t want to blow dry it.

Blue faux leather jacket – H&M
Black sweater – Long Tall Sally
Black jeans – Next Tall (eBay)
Blue suede boots – Georgia Rose (c/o Sarenza)
Blue necklace – Primark
Silver hoops – gifted


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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Outfit: Of Knit Dresses and Knee Boots

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ArturoChiang


It was so warm on Monday afternoon that I accidentally left my coat at the office. I’d gone out without it at dinnertime so had it in my head that I didn’t need it on, and then forgot to pick it up. I didn’t even notice until Tuesday morning when I was totally confused as to why it wasn’t hanging up on its usual hook at home. D’oh! Due to the unseasonal warmth on Monday it struck me that time might just be running out for wearing knitted dresses and knee high boots, so both yesterday’s and today’s outfits have been knit dresses. Of course last year we had feet of snow at the end of March so it could well be that I have nothing to worry about and there is still a good 6 weeks of boot weather left.

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I pulled out this black knitted dress for today because it doesn’t get as much wear as it deserves. I think I always look at it and decide it should be left for smarter occasions, but then never end up wearing it on smarter occasions. It’s a great fit (it’s Long Tall Sally) and I’ve had it since just after I started this blog back in 2006 when I wrote a review for LTS and they kindly sent me a gift card in return. I added bright blue accessories (this cobalt shade was everywhere when we were in town on Sunday so it’s going to be big for spring) and my trusty leather boots. These feel super high to my today after being in flats yesterday!

Black dress – Long Tall Sally (with gift card)
Blue tights – Accessorize
Black leather boots – Arturo Chiang (Century 21)
Blue glitter belt – H&M (sale)
Blue necklace – New Look (sale)
Silver hoops – gifted


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Monday, February 24, 2014

Outfit: Shoeper Challenge 2013/14 Save 59 | How to Wear Black with Navy

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Jana Rahbini black ankle boot


Meet my new favourite boots everyone! I wore these last Thursday (they arrived c/o the lovely people at Sarenza on Wednesday) and again yesterday when we went into town for a wander around. I had already planned out today’s outfit with them too... They are super comfy (we must have been on our feet a good two and a half hours yesterday) and I never thought I’d say this again, but I love the block heel. When I tried them on Wednesday afternoon they immediately reminded me of a pair of boots I had when I was in the 6th form which had a similar height heel, but didn’t really feel like heels to me. I think those boots actually belonged to my sister but I wore them all the time. They were black and laced up and had a rubber sole and block heel. This new pair reminded me of those in that when I put them on they didn’t feel like heels to me. I knew they were going to be winners and I’m sure I will wear them a whole lot. They are by Jana according to the Sarenza website, but they say Soft Line on them and that’s what it said on the box which had me thinking that was the brand. I am a big fan of ankle boots at the moment and I especially like the stud detailing on these.

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Last week Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen wrote a couple of posts about mixing black with navy and that gave me the idea for this outfit. I am cheating slightly here as I’ve added some denim too, but as it was quite warm and spring-like yesterday a navy blazer seemed like a good idea today.

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I put a black and white striped top underneath it (because who doesn’t like stripes, right?) and added black tights and black boots. As long as it looks purposeful, mixing navy and black is something to be embraced.

Navy jacket – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Black and white top – Zara (sale)
Denim skirt – Debenhams (sale)
Black tights – Primark
Black faux suede boots – Jana (c/o Sarenza)
Silver necklace – New Look (sale)
Silver square hoops – Claire’s


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Outfit: Out and About at the Weekend


Here’s a look at the typical outfit I would wear on a weekend when we’re out for a walk or out and about somewhere it’s likely to be muddy. This was taken at Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate on Saturday and features my sister and my niece.

My uniform for this kind of event is straight leg or skinny jeans, a coat/hat/scarf depending on the outdoor temperature, and my walking boots.

Teal coat – Long Tall Sally (sale)
Turquoise pashmina – eBay
Jeans – Long Tall Sally
Boots – Merrell (c/o Fitness Footwear)
Brown cord hat – Matalan


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Friday, February 21, 2014

Outfit: Transitioning To Spring

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Georgia Rose red booties


Yesterday morning it was 11°C when I arrived at work, which was warm for 7.30am. It was warm for February. It put me in the mood for spring (which last year was a long time coming – feet of snow at the end of March anyone?) so although today’s outfit is layered (we were back to 2°C this morning) it has the feeling of spring about it. I even pulled this jacket out of my summer clothes storage bag.

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So can we talk about this jacket for a minute? It is basically a sweatshirt in disguise as a jacket. The fabric is soft and cosy and it stretches, making it super comfortable to wear. The perfect way to feel like you’re wearing something slouchy but actually looking pulled together.

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So, it’s Friday! I don’t really have much planned for the weekend. How about you? I find that this time of year there isn’t much going on at weekends but that’s fine by me. When it’s still cold out cosying up by the fire with a good book will do. Have a good one, whatever you’re doing.

Navy and cream stripe jacket – Next Tall
Navy top – Long Tall Sally
Jeans – Long Tall Sally (eBay)
Red suede booties – Georgia Rose (c/o Sarenza)
Navy, red and cream scarf – Forever 21
Silver hoops – gifted


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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Outfit: Lady In Red

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Matalan Snakeskin


I’m back in pants today. I had a hankering to wear stripes with them so thought why not go for red stripes with them? I decided red shoes would be a bit much so dug out my snakeskin pumps instead.

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I have said this before, but I will say it again: these red jeans really were such a good eBay bargain. Just £5 and I wear them if not once a week then once a fortnight. That’s at least 26 wears per year, I’ve had them 2.5 years, that’s around 65 wears so that makes the cost per wear, what? 7.6p? Not bad really.

Red and grey stripe cashmere sweater – Gap men’s (eBay)
White shirt – c/o Long Tall Sally
Red jeans – New Look Tall (eBay)
Snakeskin shoes – Matalan
Red beads – Claire’s
Silver necklace – gifted
Silver hoops – gifted


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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Outfit: Blue and Navy

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Priceless Navy


After wearing trousers just about every day last week I am back in dresses this week. Yesterday was a grey knit one with a red cardi and red booties, and today it’s navy. I opted to put a cardi over this dress rather than a layer under it as my office got really warm yesterday afternoon and I figured I could always remove the cardi if the same thing happened today.

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The burgundy tights were inspired by the burgundy in the scarf and I think it works well with the blues.

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So how was your weekend? Mine was good – it rained most of Saturday so I only ventured out in the morning to change my library books. By 3pm it had cleared up so I managed to get some of my washing dry on the line. Sunday was lovely and sunny so I washed my car in the morning, then we had a walk in the afternoon. I like to get out for some fresh air and exercise at the weekend if I can, especially when the weather is good.

Blue cardi – Next Tall (eBay)
Navy dress – Next Tall
Burgundy tights – New Look?
Turquoise leopard print scarf – ASOS
Blue beads – Scope
Silver square hoops – Claire’s
Navy faux suede boots – Priceless Shoes (sale)


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Friday, February 14, 2014

Shoeper Challenge 2013/14 Save 58 | Casual Friday and ASOS Tall

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Nine West Red


Happy Friday y’all! And happy Valentine’s day, if you’re celebrating. I get the feeling it’s a far bigger deal in the US than it is here – in the UK we just tend to send cards, maybe give gifts, and expect to pay inflated prices if we go out for a meal.

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So remember how I’m supposed to be saving my shoes? I saved another pair! I know, it’s been a while. But that’s because I had saved all of my boots. All but this pair that is. I really like these boots and they have good memories attached to them (I bought them way back in 2003 in New York) but because they come quite high up the ankle they only really work with bootcut or flared jeans. And I don’t tend to wear bootcut or flared jeans very often. But here we are, my red Nine West boots are safe for another year.

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In exciting tall girl news, ASOS have announced they are introducing a Tall range – at last! It lands on the site in April but there are a few pieces available already. I don’t know much about the range other than all inseams will be 36” and the fit models the use to get the proportions right are all over 5’10” (though many of ASOS’s models are 5’10” anyway, and they tell you how tall the models are which is a great help to know how items will work on you). The All The Tall Things blog has more information and is collating a list of comments to pass back to ASOS about what their tall clientele want so take a look over there.

I have been doing a lot of reading recently, both real books and on my Kindle App. This week I read the full version of A Little Princess. I loved the Ladybird abridged version as a child but I don't think I'd ever read the full thing. I got it for free from Amazon for Kindle (have a look - many of the classics are available free for Kindle) and whipped through it in just two days. It's fabulous! I'm planning a trip to the library tomorrow to see what else I can find to read. Happy weekend everyone!

Navy, green and cream stripe top – Long Tall Sally (sale)
Jeans – FCUK (charity shop)
Red leather boots – Nine West (Century 21)
Silver square hoops – Claire’s
Teal scarf – Long Tall Sally (sale)
Tan leather belt – River Island


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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Outfit: No Snow Day

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Bank Blonde & Blonde Shiloh studded ankle boots


We were promised snow last night. Heavy snow. And what we got? A light dusting at best. In places. There was none where I live and just a little bit when I got to work. I had high hopes when I got up. It looked lighter outside through the curtains than usual, and there was a kind of calm quiet. You know the kind of calm quiet when it has snowed and no one is moving about? It sounded like that. But it was not to be. Just a thin layer of ice on my windscreen and a little disappointment.

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So I put on my bright red pants and some flat boots (just as well as the car park at work was quite icy) and trundled off on my merry way, hopes of a snow day once again dashed by this rubbish mild winter we’re having.

Black polo neck – New Look Tall
Red jeans – New Look Tall (eBay)
Beige suede boots – Blonde & Blonde (c/o Bank)
Leopard print scarf – H&M
Red beads – Claire’s
Silver earrings – Claire’s


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Monday, February 10, 2014

Outfit: Blue, Brown and Leopard

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Sarenza Bocage Dimao boots


It was a chilly, frosty start this morning. We’ve not had many of those this winter so I guess I shouldn’t complain but really. Brr! That thing I said last week about winter being on its way out? I take it back. We went for a walk yesterday afternoon and it was nice and sunny but by the time we were heading home (after stops at a couple of pubs) it was decidedly chilly.

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So how was your weekend? Saturday afternoon my sister and brother in law and niece came over to play. I also did some baking and if you’ve never tried chocolate crispy treats made with Special K (or Aldi’s equivalent) you are missing out.

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I almost picked out a black sweater to wear today, but decided the bright blue was much more cheerful. Paired with leopard print it’s just as classic as red I think.

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Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter (links below) as the days I’m not blogging here I’ll probably be posting to one or all of the social media sites.

Blue sweater – Long Tall Sally (sale)
Brown cord trousers – Long Tall Sally (10% off)
Leopard print booties – Bocage (c/o Sarenza)
Leopard print scarf – H&M
Brown wood heart – Scope
Silver earrings – gifted


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