Chilling After the Wedding

The Royal Wedding was absolutely fantastic, I adored Kates dress, loved the whole ceremony, the build up, the kisses and the drive in the Aston Martin-a really stunning occasion and I wish them all the success in their marriage.

Anyhow, late afternoon saw hubby and I wanting to get away for some sun and solitude, so we went to a country park not too far away for a walk through the woods and the fields and a chance just to chill and relax and soak up some sunshine.

I'm wearing double denim-it wasn't exactly a style choice, more that my jacket was the nearest to get to as I was going out. Mind you, I quite like the look when different washes are worn together. My jacket is a Levis for Girls, thrifted at the boot sale a few weeks ago. I'm also wearing my newly thrifted skinny flares by Miss Sixty, they are my new favourites. They are super soft, super flarey and so comfortable!!

A bad hair day meant wearing a scarf, which worked well considering it was quite windy and made a good cover up from the sun too!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and for all of us in the UK, its a nice long one-again!!

Converses, For a Stylish Casual Chic Look Anytime

A couple of months ago my youngest son decided he wanted some Converse trainers. As I had a pair of barely worn black high tops and we are both the same size, he decided to nab mine!!

As a Converse convert, he fell in love with the Superman design and so I treated him to them last month. Converse shoes are really a fabulous choice for young or old, women or men and are always in style for a casual chic look.

Here are my favourite styles available at Spartoo, the only difficulty is they have such a wide variety of low, mid or high tops in different designs-what to choose??

Converse Slim Core Ox, £45

Converse Vagabond Gingham Ox, £62

Converse Seasonal Ox, £48

Converse Seasonal Ox, £48

Converse Seasonal Hi, £53

How do you wear trainers-as part of a casual style within your outfit or are they purely for the gym or working out? Would a pair of Converses get your vote this Summer?

Book Find of the Month-Gianni Versace and also my Decade Musings!!

I thought I'd take a wander to my local Sue Ryder as I hadn't visited it for quite a little while. I was pleased I did as I found this V&A book, The Art and Craft of Gianni Versace which accompanied the first major exhibition in the UK since Gianni's death.

I haven't read it, but had to show these wonderful pictures of his stunning works:

Famed for his bright and bold prints back in the 80s and 90s, this book is a wonderful representation of his designs and collections and also features Donatellas work too.

I would definitely recommend this and I can't wait to have a proper read through!!

I am a fan of vintage and if I have to choose favourite designers, my long term favourite is definitely Ossie Clark. I love Celia Birtwells prints and paired with the cuts of Ossies dresses, his pieces are simply stunning. I also love Jean Varons floaty floral maxi dresses and also the era of Studio 54 and the disco glam clothes. Maybe because the 80s was my era, I adored body con pieces-still do and would happily dress in Hunza and lycra tight dresses back in the day, what with Alaia being out of my price range!! I also love Thierry Muglers sculptural shapes and am fortunate to have a couple of his vintage pieces too.

Over the last few months I've really fell for Gianni Versaces work-I love the vibrant colours and patterns and the tight clothes he designed back in the day. So to find this book was a fabulous find for me. I now have my copy of Judith Watts Ossie Clark 1965-1974 and now The Art and Craft of Gianni Versace, which fulfills my vintage style inspirations from the late 60s to the late 90s.

What decades are you inspired by and are there any designers whose work you especially love?

Thrift Inspiration, Carrie Vintage Style

Hi everyone!! Wishing you all a very Happy and Peaceful Easter.

This weekend I was inspired yet again by Carrie's vintage dresses. Sex and The City started in the 90s and each season there are many of her looks and outfits that I find so inspirational.

My favourite look are her simple vintage slip dresses:

SATC Season 4 vintage dress

SATC Season 4 vintage dress

SATC Season 2, Carries $7 vintage dress

A recent boot sale find was this cream vintage slip dress, which like Carries white floral one-picture one, is quite sheer, but a perfect summer vintage day dress

I'm wearing flat silver sandals and a Topshop denim jacket, thrifted last year

What type of dresses are inspiring you for summer day and evening wear this year?

Thrift Inspiration, Net-A-Porter Style in Valentino Red

Hi everyone!! I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Easter and I hope everyone (especially so in the UK) is enjoying the glorious weather we are experiencing at the moment.

I want to apologise for not keeping up with you all as due to the school holidays and the wonderful weather we've been having I've not been on the laptop very much!! I will definitely do my best to catch up with you all as soon as I can and for those of you who are stopping by, thanks so much for your kind and lovely comments, they are always so much appreciated.

This post is a Pink one. Sugar pink is such a sweet and lovely shade of colour and especially for a Summer dress. Net-A-Porter have a gorgeous selection and my favourite picks are here below:

Christopher Kane Barbara pleated dress, £1620

Miu Miu, £470

The Row, Eastlyn £1470

Moschino Cheap and Chic, £785

One of my best thrift finds just lately is this vintage inspired sugar pink dress by Valentino RED. I thought it was vintage at first, but upon checking it is a newish dress.

I was amazed when I asked the price, the seller said 'Well it is designer, so I want £2' I was still looking at her rather amazed when I handed her a £2 coin, but she took it and smiled, so I did too and toddled off!!

The dress is lovely, I'm not a girly pink person, but for the money I'm sure it will get a few wears this summer!!

Will you be pretty in pink this Summer-is it a colour you like?

Prints and Patterns for Summer

Colour is a must for summer shoes and I'm loving prints and patterns on fabric shoes, whether they are flats or have heels.

The beauty of choosing styles like these is that you can keep outfits quite plain and simple while the shoes do the talking. Espadrilles are a forever stylish choice, whether you choose plain or patterned ones and a perfect choice for casual wear at the beach or in town.

My favourite picks from Spartoo are below and I've chosen styles which are suitable for different budgets too-they are most inspiring for a gorgeous Summers day or evening:

Rayees, French Soule, £16

Meami, Zandra Rhodes £141

Fame, French Soule, £20

Paloma, Zandra Rhodes £141

Maki, French Soule £20

Will you be choosing a patterned print for your Summer shoe of choice?

Denim Shorts for Spring

Denim never goes out of trend and denim shorts are back yet again for this season. If you don't fancy paying out for denim shorts, why not do a touch of diy on a pair of existing jeans?

From UK Vogue, May supplement

Now Spring is here and summer is in the air, I thought I'd wear my 7 For All Mankind denim shorts that I customised from jeans earlier this year.

I do like wearing them casually with black opaque tights for now and when summer is here I'll wear them with bare legs!

I'm wearing my Topshop I Love London tee which is from the Barnados Charity shop and my leopardprint ballet pumps with the shorts

How will you be wearing denim this spring-are shorts your thing, or do you prefer a denim skirt or denim capris for summer?

Flat Shoes for Summer

Over the past few months every pair of shoes I've bought have a heel and recently all I'm craving is flat shoes-I'm now on a mission to track a pair that are stylish and comfortable-Mission Impossible? Hopefully not!!

Having a look around, I'm really drawn to either a ballerina style or loafer style and would like something preferably in black or red, maybe even tan!!

I really like the offerings from Geox, they have a revolutionary system that have a breathable rubber sole-perfect for selecting a summer shoe I think!!

Here is a pick of my favourites, available now at Spartoo:

Red Patent Geox Nadira, £77.60

Tan suede Geox Candy, £50.40

Black Ballerina Geox Piuma, £70

Brown Ballerinas Geox Lola, £69.60

When I'm ready to get a pair, I think I may well opt for a ballerina style-not only do they go well with trousers, jeans, dresses and shorts, if you pick the right pair they can be incredibly comfortable too.

What style of shoe are you going for this Summer?

Thrift Find,

This weekend was another one spent at the boot sales, yesterday morning and this morning.

As usual, it was comfort and practicality first, so I wore a tee thrifted last week from Chigwell boot sale. Its a Versace Jeans Couture tee, which I wore with black Uniqlo leggings and my wellies-again!!

My wellies are very practical for the boot sale as it is amazingly dusty at the moment. When I've come home my boots are covered in it, so at least I'm not ruining any decent shoes or boots for the moment and my wellies get a quick hose down to make them all clean again!!

Thankfully its been a gorgeous weekend weatherwise, the sun has been shining and its been so lovely to relax in it-we spent this afternoon at St Katherines Dock and the Tower of London for the second Sunday in a row-its perfect for chilling out and people watching and is the perfect way to spend a lazy sunny Sunday afternoon.

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead-heres hoping the sun stays with us for it too!!

My Perfect 'It' Dress-Vintage 70s Jean Varon

Since I sold my Ossie Clark for Radley maxi dress about three years ago-something I did regret, but as they say 'c'est la vie', I've been after a vintage original maxi and have never been able to find the perfect one-until now.

Scouring Ebay, I found this gorgeous black maxi floral dress by 70s designer John Bates, aka Jean Varon.

The floral print is just so similar to the prints produced by Celia Birtwell for Ossie Clark back in the day. The maxi dress is my perfect length and style and just what I've been wanting for such a long time:

I just adore the print, florals against a black background are a huge favourite of mine

I do have an Ossie Clark dress, but its not a maxi, so this really fulfills my longing for a designer 70s vintage dress

What item are you hankering after this Summer season?

Thrift Inspiration, Comfy Style

Because I'm up and out early for the boot sales now, comfort and warmth take priority over style- I wore my wellies on Sunday and when I came home they were thick with dust, normally its mud!!

So it was just a change of coat and boots for our trip into London and we had a lovely stroll around the Tower of London, before taking a leisurely drive through St Johns Wood and West Hampstead.

I'm wearing a Pauls Boutique parka, thrifted from the boot sale, cowboy boots also from the boot sale, Jean Paul Gaultier tee from the charity shop and M&S leggings.

Our drive back took us past London Zoo, so I had to snap the giraffes, they are so cute and what lovely skins they have, stylish forever, lol!!

When does comfort take priority over style for you??

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a lovely Sunday and for all the mums and grandmas out there, Happy Mothers Day to you All!!

My day started off very early, we were up and out by 7.30 to the local boot sale and the morning was gloriously sunny and perfect for finds and people watching whilst eating my breakfast there.

Then back home to see my boys, who made sure I had a card from each of them, plus a lovely teddy bear, a candle and some flowers-aah, my boys are so gorgeous!!

Lovely hubby had given me some money to treat myself and I found a lovely vintage sequin top on my travels which has peacock feathers on each shoulder:

So this was my pressie of choice, always clothes!!

We've had a lovely day, we visited St Katherines Dock, The Tower of London where we had a wander and then we stopped for a quick drink before taking a leisurely drive to Hampstead and a tour of their charity shops and some lunch.

I'm now back home and relaxing after being on the go, but its been such a wonderful day.

Wishing you all a good week ahead and heres hoping the sun stays with us too!! xxx