Its All about the Dress! Transitional Dressing from the High Street

Choosing print dresses for end of Summer and Autumn styling!

Hi everyone! I've noticed that on Instagram that dresses seem to be the most popular go to for effortless style and comfort this Summer! Whether it's a puff sleeve, little black dress, grecian maxi or a flowing floral number, I do think dresses are definitely on many stylish IGers and Fashion bloggers radar this current season!

I really love dresses in Summer although I do tend to gravitate towards jeans and sweaters in Winter! However, I would like to carry on wearing dresses as we leave Summer and go into the next couple of seasons and I've found two dresses that I feel fit this remit very well indeed!

So breaking away from my current Summer habit of buying plain neutrals, I've bought print neutrals which I think are perfect transition choices when heading for the Autumn season! My first buy was in the Marks and Spencer's summer sale earlier this month and with a special offer on my Sparks card too, it was just £4. 

It's a really pretty paisley and floral taupe print dress with tiers and the near maxi length is ideal for wearing with sandals, trainers or boots and also a denim jacket or cardigan whatever the style occasion as the cooler weather approaches:

My second dress was purchased this week- Primark have their new current season instore and I literally picked this up as soon as I walked in! I haven't got a leopard print dress and again, the length and style of this dress make it a perfect transition piece from Summer to Autumn- it's also an ideal Day to Evening dress simply by adding jewellery, a pair of strappy sandals and a statement handbag and I'm good to go! 

Primark do some amazing leopard print clothes every season- I wore a year old leopard print denim skirt not so long ago which is featured on my Instagram feed. If you pick well, you cannot go wrong with Primark clothes and I do enjoy styling and wearing thoughtfully chosen items that I've had year after year!

Also leopard print is such a great print to style with- adding a splash of red or gold or silver carefully curated accessories with it ensures you'll really elevate your chosen leopard print piece with style!

This dress was £15 and I'm delighted to have 2 new High Street purchases that have stood me in at less than £10 each! 

Top Style Tip I do tend to size 1-2 sizes up in Primark- sizing up on certain high street brands ensures the said item looks a lot more stylish and expensive looking and drapes better too!

I do feel that Summer is slowly slipping away- well we've had an amazing one considering it started at the beginning of Lockdown! I doubt I'll be buying anymore items for Summer now unless it's an awesome thrifted one that I will have to have for next Summer!

Will you be wearing dresses this Autumn? Are they your go to for easy styling or will you be back in jeans? I'm a denim lover anyway so whether it's a jacket or skirt or jeans, denim will definitely feature a lot in my Autumn wardrobe- and hopefully dresses will too!!

Summer Linen- choosing preloved Marks and Spencer

Last of my Thrifted Summer Buys! 

Hi everyone! Last Friday was a lovely afternoon spent with the girls, lunching, then charity shopping and then back to the local Wetherspoon's for afternoon dessert and a needed cup of tea!

My Summer thrifted buys this season have been a lot more thought out as to what can be saved for following summers- I really want to have pieces that will transcend trends and that I will enjoy wearing and will keep me cool and looking stylish too!

This first item I found was in a charity shop where they were doing a 3 for 2 offer. I've mentioned in previous Instagram and blogposts that I really do like finding preloved Marks and Spencer linen  it not only keeps you cool but I do feel it's effortlessly stylish and very practical to wear and if you choose neutral colours then separates such as tops, blouses, shorts and trousers can so easily be mixed and matched for lots of different looks within a capsule summer wardrobe. 

I really like the stripe detail and the self belt nicely cinches the waist without feeling too fussy or tight. This will go with some white linen trousers I thrifted in June, plus cut off denim shorts or one of my denim skirts.Whilst thirfting, I try to envisage if an item will go with at least three items in my wardrobe- if it does then there's a good chance I'll buy it!  Also I find linen really doesn't have great hanger appeal, but once tried on it does look and feel nice!

My next find was a second black linen jacket the first one you can see here in July's post 

The difference between the two is this one is a slightly longer length and is an unstructured, unlined style so I can wear it with shorts or trousers for a more relaxed, casual style:

My last find was this awesome vintage cream linen vintage St Michaels Marks and Spencer dress- I think it's from the 80s- it has a dropped waist, soft pleats and detailed horn style buttons. I was unsure about it in the shop, but decided to buy it anyway and once I had tried it on I was so pleased I had snapped it up. I may not get a chance to wear it this Summer but this is a keeper dress that I know I'll wear in future Summers. It's a classic style, comfortable and I've hankered after a cream dress for a while, so this fits the bill perfectly!

So the grand total for all three was £9.50- a little over £3 per item which for Marks and Spencer items I think is awesome! I've built up a great variety of items for Summer dressing  and preloved Marks and Spencer linen features a lot in it. I've four linen shirts, a couple of jackets, two pairs of trousers and a dress that are preloved M&S and I can safely say that they are definitely items that will have longevity in my summer capsule wardrobe.

I constantly culled my wardrobe this season and the things I had left and bought this season are items that I can mix well with each other for all and any occasions. I have bought a lot of plain neutral things these last few months and as a lover of prints and floral items for Summer, I feel I now have a good variety of colour and style in my current wardrobe!

Have you finished your Summer wardrobe shopping this season? My next blogpost will feature a couple of new buys that will be perfect for transitioning to Autumn- stay tuned!

Femme Luxe sets for Autumn Styling

Choosing Animal Print and Neutrals for a Mix and Match Colour Style Pallette

Hi everyone! Although we have been having heatwave weather here in the UK, my thoughts have been to assembling my Autumn wardrobe and incorporating some style basics that I can interchange with each other for a versatile Autumnal capsule wardrobe.

I really love this snake loungewear set by Femme Luxe- it ticks all the boxes for being on trend, comfort and is the perfect transitional loungewear suit as it is light yet warm for those cooler days:

It's a real winner for day to night dressing- just changing trainers to some strappy sandals will instantly elevate this outfit into a stylish set for going for an evening meal or drinks.

I really love a plain white t-shirt and jogger combination and these stone seamed joggers are again a perfect choice for wearing in any season- they are ideal for daytime styles if I'm running errands or going shopping and I really love that these stone colour joggers are the perfect shade of beige as they will go with all colour t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts! FemmeLuxe do lovely white t-shirts, not only are they comfortable but they really wash and wear well, hence me choosing them time and again!

You may have seen from my previous posts that I'm just a little obsessed with the Estelle loungewear set! I've got it in black, grey and camel and naturally when I saw the brown version I snapped up the chance to style it up! I totally adore the cut, style, fit and comfort of this suit and totally recommend it- it washes and wears like a dream and I'm so pleased to have this one in my wardrobe for the Autumn- plus I'll be able to mix and match the tops and bottoms to create a fully functional capsule loungewear wardrobe!

Thanks to the Femme Luxe team for letting me style this amazing pieces- I really enjoy wearing their items, you get total value for money and it's easy to create an inexpensive and stylish capsule wardrobe by mixing and matching pieces without breaking the budget!!

Thrift My Style Hand Knit Aran Cardigans for Seasonal Styling and Thrift Tips

Getting ready for Autumn and Winter styling!

Hi everyone! Although it's high season Summer at the moment, whenever I go to the charity shops or boot sales I'm always keeping my eyes open for alternative season pieces.

Which leads me nicely to My First Thrift Tip - Shop items that are not for the current season This really applies if they are available to buy in a charity shop or at the boot sale of course! Keep an open mind in the heart of Summer to check out coats, winter jackets and knitwear as it's a great cost effective way of adding to your wardrobe and likewise so is seeking out and buying summer dresses and swimwear in Winter too!

So to my chunky knits! My first hand knit cardigan was a gifted purchase a couple of years ago which was from the clothes market at Columbia Road Flower Market. 

I featured it on my Instagram feed in 2018 and what I really like about it is the longer length and how I can wear it as a 'coatigan' and as you can see I styled it over a denim jacket and skirt- this kind of styling for me is perfect for Autumn and transitional styling:

What drew me to it was the gorgeous olive colour and chunky style, it definitely is a 'keeper' piece in my wardrobe as it is versatile and stylish and who doesn't like a hand knit cardigan in the wardrobe!

I went to the Saturday boot sale yesterday in Chigwell again and there was a massive stall selling all kinds of different clothes which had a small selection of hand knit aran sweaters and cardigans. 

I've been looking for the traditional cream colour for a while now and have always seemed to come across sweaters rather than cardigans in my size.

Anyhow I found this one which also seems as new and unworn and on the same stall I found a vintage football shirt for the boys. 

So armed with my booty I asked how much for both. The reply was a tenner, which of course is pretty good to be fair, but I decided to put my haggling skills to good use and we negotiated and settled at £7!!

It's a real bargain buy and it's a great feeling to find something which you've actually been after for ages too!

This particular cardigan is a shorter length to the olive green one that I have and has laundered up so well- it hasn't shrunk and because of the summer heat has dried naturally very quickly!

So to reiterate on my Second Thrift Tip - Do haggle at boot sales! I tend to if I've got more than one item and I make sure I don't take liberties as I know this can also be someone else's important source of income. Sometimes I don't even haggle, if I really like an item I'll snap it up at the price given!

But it never hurts to ask and I'll always accept a no with grace and a smile, particularly if I want the said item!

Third Thrift Tip - The Early Bird catches the Good Items! I was at the boot sale before 7am yesterday and it's good to be able to browse whilst sellers have just set up their stall and you know you are one of the first to view their wares!

Fourth Thrift Tip - Buy Quality whatever the price!  So the cardigan stood me in at £3.50 which I was very pleased about- I wouldn't be able to get a cardigan on the High Street for this price plus I'm all for items that promote slow sustainable fashion, that are also preloved and also will have a long term future in my wardrobe!

I remember buying a couple of jumpers in the Primark sale a couple of years ago for £5 each and they didn't hold up well at all, so that was £10 wasted as they didn't last a full winter season.

Fifth Thrift Tip-  Get Charity Shopping now! The charity shops are all beginning to reopen now after lockdown and with donations being received thick and fast in their shops and a limited amount of people being allowed in for social distance reasons, now really is the perfect time to be checking out a new thift bargain- whether it's for this season or for Autumn and Winter! 

HAPPY THRIFT SHOPPING!