My 2010 and a Happy New Year for 2011

Of course we are at the end of another year, personally 2010 has been quite a rollercoaster ride, with many ups and downs in my personal life. Thankfully it is ending on a happy note, as is the financial side of life-2010 will be seen going out with NO credit card debt and NO consumer or personal loans-I've never been out of debt all my adult life and now I only have mortgage debt to contend with, I feel like its a massive achievement and a millstone gone to finally see the back of financial borrowings.

I can't say that I won't ever borrow in the future, but it will be planned and necessary borrowing if I do and may well involve sprucing up my little house which could do with some TLC in all areas. Personally, I also need to invest in some new specs, my ones are like looking through a permanent haze of fog, but I'll save for these.

I've achieved my debt free status mainly through a frugal lifestyle of thrifting and my love of style and fashion has seen me through these lean years. I am very fortunate to say that I have a fabulous wardrobe of designer clothes, handbags and accessories which have either been mainly from charity shops, boot sales, ebaying or from family.

After another wardrobe reorganisation yesterday with a few pieces going to my local charity shop, I can honestly say that I do have a very covetable wardrobe that I have been proud to build up without incurring any long lasting financial burdens as well.

I will cherish and respect what I have and continue to thrift, not out of necessity, but out of enjoyment-it really is a favourite hobby now.

I'm not sure what 2011 will bring for me in the way of goals and plans-I have a part time job which gives me excellent working hours, all the school holidays and a truly wonderful family of fellow workmates, so I would need any future career change to meet or exceed these things I already have-I'm not money motivated, I just want to be happy in my chosen plans for the future, whatever it brings.

With this in mind, I sincerely wish all my followers, readers and fellow blogger friends a Very Happy and Peaceful New Year and a Successful 2011.

Thrift Inspiration, Vogue Style-The Skinny Belt

I was lucky to find this Mulberry tan skinny belt a few weeks ago in the Haven Hospice charity shop:

Skinny belts are still very much in trend and the most popular way of wearing them this season is over a winter coat, as you can see here by Chloe for their Winter collection:

Check out this article by Vogue on their take on wearing skinny belts, very inspirational for how the Designers are working this look this season.

I will definitely be wearing this belt with my cashmere camel coat and also my brown shearling jacket. Will you be wearing a skinny belt with your next outfit?

Thrift Inspiration, Halston Style

I finally watched Sex and the City 2 on DVD one evening last week and I just adored all the Halston Heritage dresses, here is their cocktail pleated dress:

Farfetch.com, £259

Of course, Carries purple one is just lovely and an ideal summer dress:

I was pleased to find this vintage Radley pleated cocktail dress, which is very similar to the Halston Heritage version above, my one is a midi length and has a gold rose detail to the hemline.

It was only £7 in the RSPCA charity shop and if I don't get much wear from it over the Christmas and New Year season, I will wear it a lot as a summer evening dress next year, so a very versatile buy and another piece of vintage, very Studio 54 inspired.

What style of dresses are inspiring you for Summer 2011?

My Christmas Day

Hi everyone!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, we all had a fabulous day and were fortunate to receive some lovely presents too.

Amongst my gifts received was a tan leather handbag, Opium by YSL perfume gift set, Prada Amber perfume gift set and as you can see below, a black and white diamond half eternity ring, chosen by me from hubby as a timely Christmas present bought on Christmas Eve whilst out randomly buying last minute things for Christmas.

My Christmas outfit differed from what I had planned, I wore my newly thrifted Topshop black sweater with silver sequins, black leather skirt, lacy tights and leopardprint ballet pumps.

My gift from hubby, black and white diamond half eternity ring

Hubby prepared and made Christmas dinner, which was totally delicious!!

Thanks dear, he loves cooking so much but hates washing up, thats my job!!

So Christmas is over for another year, but it is a perfect time for eating too much, watching too much TV and DVDs and generally just chilling out with family and friends-only another 364 days to go, lol!!

Happy Christmas to You All

Best Wishes from Candy and MyStyle-Wishing you all a Fabulous Festive Christmas and hope Santa has brought you all those presents you wanted!!

Sunset Views from my house, thanks to my lovely son

Dressing For Christmas

Although I have lots in my wardrobe, I still felt like treating myself to a) something for Christmas and b) something in the sale.

On my travels this week, I managed to get this lovely unstructured velvet blazer, reduced from £49.99 to £20.00 from River Island-its also available online in black, beige, pink and red too:

Depending on my mood, I'll either wear it with my newly acquired vintage 80s Radley cocktail dress in black and gold, which I got this week at the RSPCA charity shop for £7, or some black leggings and a top.

What are you wearing for Christmas?

Tights for the Festive and Winter Season

At this time of year, there is nothing better than complimenting a little black dress that is new or already in the wardrobe with a pair of tights. If you're wanting to treat yourself, but not spend the pounds, then investing in a pair will instantly update your outfit, especially if you pick a style that are currently in trend.

For inspiration, check out the Burlesque range over at MyTights.com which have some very sexy and trend led styles.

Other bestsellers include over the knee tights, footless lacy tights, suspender tights and for those of you after something cosy, some cashmere blend tights.

For a chic daytime look, I personally like black or coloured opaque tights during winter. For evening wear, I love wearing lacy tights with dresses at this time of the year, its my way of chanelling the lace trend with existing pieces already in my wardrobe.

Lurex and liquid shine would also be popular choices for evening wear and for those of you wanting a cosy daytime look, then opt for some over the knee socks over a pair of patterned tights for a different look, or some coloured opaques.

For any of you who want to rock the 80s, then check out their range of legwarmers, guaranteed to keep you snug and stylish.

For the more adventurous of you, how about a pair of leopardprint tights, certain to sex up any outfit. Tights are certainly a necessity for this time of the year, why not invest in some different styles to pep up your wardrobe?

Thrift Inspiration, Chloe Style

Chloe produced some gorgeous camel coats for Winter 2010 which if you are fortunate enough to afford, would by a lifetime investment piece:

The midi length is a popular, versatile and stylish option, it keeps the legs warm and you can still show off a on trend trouser leg or a stylish pair of winter boots or evening shoes.

I mentioned in an earlier post this month that I was after a fuller length coat, as my furry options were all thigh length and if I could get a camel coat, then so much the better.

With the Chloe coats as inspiration, I was so pleased to pick up this 100% cashmere vintage camel coat by a brand called Dellbury (no jokes about Delboy and his infamous camel coat please!!)

Its very much a similar style to the 2nd Chloe coat and bearing in mind my coat must be from the 70s or 80s, it goes to show that a classic style never dates and can be reinterpreted for the present day:

I got it from my local boot sale last week and it fits just perfectly too.

So the hunt for a coat is over for this winter and just in time too-the snow here today has settled already and still coming thick and fast, so I'm pleased we've all got a two week break from work and school!!!

Mohair and Cake

On our travels recently, husband and I found a gorgeous cake shop that specialises in hand made egg free fresh cream cakes and it was our second visit there this afternoon.

After much deliberation of what to choose, we ate in and had a slice of homemade pizza, tea and a slice of delicious cake. As you can see, there are many to choose from and for only £1.40 each, you could easily have more than one in one sitting, although I didn't!!

I had black forest gateau and husband had pistachio-yummy indeed!! I now need to work my way through all the other flavours available-what a task, huh!!

They also do big cakes, ideal for birthdays and special occasions.

I wore my new vintage French hairy mohair jacket, which I thrifted last weekend-its so oversized and is lined like a jacket but is very lightweight and incredibly warm, like a cardigan. I think it makes a nice change from all the fur which I've been channelling this winter so far.

The jacket was from the All Aboard charity shop-its not something I would normally go for, but I wanted something different for winter. I love the vibrant colours and also how hairy it is too!!

I'm wearing it with my Levi skinny jeans, wool Coast polo neck jumper and black Dune boots, all thrifted from various charity shops.

Oh and my Chanel bag got an outing too, although you can't really see it that well!!

UPDATED TO ADD-The cake shop is Cakes & Bakes-They have branches in East Ham (East London) and Barkingside High Street, Essex (on the Central Line)

Make it the Sally Army and Celia Birtwell for 99p

As you all know, I'm a great fan of charity shops and even more so when they offer 'loyalty' schemes to their customers. My local Sue Ryder charity shop offers £5 off when you have collected 10 stamps on your loyalty card and The Salvation Army have a scheme called 'Re-Tag' and 'Re-Bag'.

Basically any donations made that are in their re-usable bag or with a tag attached means a £2 spend in their shop for you!!

I was given my tag a couple of weeks ago when I was in there handing in a donation and over the weekend did another clearout of things not worn anymore and attached my tag. I took it in earlier today and had a look around and was pleased to find a Celia Birtwell for Topshop smock (the one in the bottom left hand corner) for £2.99, so with my £2 off I only had to pay 99p!!

I do love Celia Birtwell pieces, this is my cheapest one to date and is from her 2nd collection in Autumn 2006 with Topshop.

So it goes to show that charity shopping can be rewarding, get donating and be a loyal customer for your local charity!!

Another vintage faux fur

I found this vintage faux fur jacket in October at my local boot sale just as I was leaving. What drew me to it was the knitted arms it had-quite different from whats on offer and as it fitted like a glove, I thought I'd have it for just £10.

I've already worn it a few times, so cost per wear is going down and down, lol!!

For all the faux fur I have in my wardrobe, every piece is just at thigh length, so I'm now on the hunt for a maxi length winter coat-maybe, faux fur or maybe wool/cashmere camel, it depends on what I see on my travels. But I'm setting my sights on a good quality piece that I can keep, so if I don't find one this winter, I'll invest next year for winter 2011.

What item are you coveting still for winter?

Through My Lense

My eldest son Chris has just opened his own Tumblr account to showcase his photos as an online portfolio, the link is here and across in my side bar if you fancy viewing his work so far!!

Wishing you a lovely weekend and although its stopped snowing, its still very cold indeed, hope you keep safe, warm and snug!!

Summer Dreaming.........

With the snow here in the UK bringing the country to a virtual halt (after only 3 days too), I thought I'd show my favourite pieces of swimwear currently available at Net-A-Porter

Jets Peacock print, £220

Yosemite Eagle Print, £190

Matthew Williamson, £170

Missoni Jura, £430

The Los Angeles, £190

Keep warm and snug to all of you facing snowy weather and for those of you in sunnier climes, lucky you indeed, lol!!

Faux Fur Mark 2!!

As the big freeze sets in, I thought I'd wish you all a snug and warm weekend and I'm so pleased I kept hold of my camel faux fur, as it's only just 1 degree outside, brr!!

I kept warm when I went out today by wearing it with my faux fur leopard print beanie from H&M and my brown suede boots with faux fur trim:

Having it belted kept the cold at bay and now I'm indoors I'm just going to chill out today listening to music, watching TV and inevitably catching up on X Factor and I'm a Celebrity later on!!

We're in for a cold week, take care to you all and enjoy the snow, lol!!

'Making Do' in faux fur and Blog Christmas Break comes early!!

I do love how bloggers can constantly inspire and learn from each other. The lovely Kate over at Make Do Style is doing a Make Do Life Laundry week and her first post, touches on the adage of 'Making Do' with what you have, appreciating it and not necessarily coveting the next 'must have' item to fill that emotional void.

I had this Minquilla faux fur in my pile for the charity shop a couple of weeks ago, but have since decided-why? Well, I had initially thought of replacing it with another fur, maybe a different texture, style and colour, but why?

I've decided to keep it, its back in the wardrobe and I will reassess my wardrobe to see other outfits I can wear with it. With it being so close to Christmas, my available money does truly need to be channelled in other directions, such as keeping up with the bills and saving for Christmas, especially with two sons who have different items appearing on their Christmas list every day, lol!!

With this in mind, I'm starting my Christmas break very early where blogging is concerned-I most probably won't be posting much now this side of Christmas, but I will try my very best to visit you as much as I can!!

Blog Inspiration, Wendy Brandes style

It was a wonderful surprise to wake up this morning to the post that the gorgeous Wendy B had done about me, following on from her fabulous post yesterday about her stunning vintage feather dress, which first had its debut with Wendy back in 1994 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala and then again this Tuesday at the Weeksville Heritage Center!

She continued to say that quite rightly, designer and vintage pieces should be cherished and not subjected to constant wardrobe culls, which I've adopted as my mantra too, please check out her wise words immediately!!

I met Wendy in July 2008 and it was such an exceptionally wonderful day, check out the full story here of our fabulous finds and how the day went. Here are some pictures of our fabulous day:

Wendy in her stunning Ossie Clark blouse

Wendy looking gorgeous in Alexander McQueen

Of course, meeting Wendy only led to one thing-the purchase of my beautiful Diana ring, seen below and which can be purchased from Wendys fine jewelry line

Wendy was my first reader of my blog and its such a privilege to know her and learn from her wise words on style-and everything else come to that!!

Check out Wendys blog if you haven't already, she sure knows what she's talking about!!

Winter Inspiration outfit

I came across this picture of the gorgeous Rosie Huntington Whitely via Google last week and as well as always looking so stylish and cool, she is also the current other half of the ultra gorgeous Jason Statham-wow, I have serious girl envy, lol!!

I love this look for winter, pairing a faux fur gilet over a black biker leather jacket, leather leggings and knee high boots-great layering and a simple stylish way of keeping snug too.

What outfits are inspiring you to keep warm this winter?

Loving leather at Net-A-Porter

Thankfully I got my leather fixes at the boot sales and charity shops in the last couple of months, with a new vintage leather jacket, brown leather cropped trousers and 2 black leather skirts-one full circle style and one pencil above the knee.

I do love leather for the winter season and here are my favourite picks from Net-A-Porter, available online now:

Christopher Kane Jenny dress, £2225

Isabel Marant Katell mini skirt, £1100

L'Wren Scott pencil skirt, £1180

Theory dress, £555

Just love the Christopher Kane dress, mixing lace, embroidery and leather into one look for this season. The Theory dress is very inspirational too and can easily be adapted on a lower budget with a nice black wool jumper and leather mini skirt to recreate virtually the same look.

Will you be in leather this season?