Marks & Spencer Autograph Leopard Print Boots and Some Issey Miyake

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, I had planned to stay in Saturday afternoon after publishing my last post which said I didn't have anything planned, however mid writing that said post my eldest son asked if I fancied an afternoon up West and as I hadn't seen the Christmas lights I thought why not? Well returning home that evening, my bank balance was noticeably lighter, what with getting his Christmas present- a Michael Kors watch no less which he is contributing more than half to and I also treated myself to a totally gorgeous, couldn't leave the shop without it, Dune Mongolian wool shawl/scarf which left my neck naked when I put it down and walked out of the shop without it, trying to be good. 

I very rarely buy anything brand new from shops, I would say my wardrobe is 95% thrifted from charity shops so it generally takes something special from the High Street for me to part with double figure funds. I've been after one of these type of shawl/scarves every winter that goes by and as soon as I'd left the store I couldn't stop thinking about it and high tailed it back and got the sales assistant to cut the tags off so I could wear it straight away!! So that's really an early Christmas present to myself which I am so pleased with and I'll be showing it off on a post later!!

Back to my outfit post which also contains a new buy-these Autograph ponyskin leopardprint wedge boots from Marks & Spencer which I got a couple of weeks ago when they were doing 20% off- I had spied them online and the same day I was in town they had one pair in my size left on the shelf, so yes, another High Street purchase but at least I didn't pay full price!! I am also wearing my beloved vintage thrift find wool waterfall cardi-jacket by Issey Miyake which was another Salvation Army charity shop find for only £2.50 a few years ago. I love this, it makes an appearance every winter season and I also wear it over my black leather biker jacket as an extra layer:

I'm wearing my light wash thrifted Levi's jeans which are a firm favourite for me this season and here is a close up of the boots- I'm generally not a lover of high heels, but these have an insolia built in sole and are really quite comfortable as they have been designed to redistribute your weight from the balls of your feet and I just love the pointy heel and of course the ponyskin leopardprint!!

My clothes and accessory budget for this month is well and truly smashed and I really need to try and not see anything else that I love- I have been extremely tempted by Michelle at MyFashionable40s who recently got a gorgeous woolly fleece from Uniqlo which is a perfect winter style piece to have, but I just sadly can't justify buying it at the moment, not with the Car Tax due at the end of the week too ;-( 

Still, I need to start busting out what's already in my wardrobe and on a future post I'll be showing you a really fabulous thrift find from the Summer, stay tuned!!

I am linking this post to the lovely Claire Justine for Creative Monday do be sure to check out her blog if you haven't already, she's been nominated by Candis magazine for her lifestyle blog which is really well deserved!! Wishing you all a really great week ahead, whatever you are up to!!

Thrift Inspiration.....Short Sleeve Chunky Knit Jumper

Hi everyone!! I hope you are all bearing up now the Wintry weather is setting in-apparently we are in for some real icy cold weather over the next couple of weeks so now is the time to dust down those winter knits and get them to the front of your wardrobe.

The majority of my jumpers that I have are all long sleeved, but I do have the odd short sleeve jumper, that being my Sonia Rykiel thrifted jumper that I bought a few years back at the now sadly gone Help The Aged charity shop for only £2.49. It's great to wear over silky blouses, chambray denim or a thermal long sleeve top. Short sleeve jumpers are so versatile and stylish and make a welcome change to the normal long sleeved versions and what I'm liking about the current versions are they are cut like oversized tees, making them perfect for layering and cosying up in. Here are my favourite picks of short sleeve jumpers that are available now:

Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, £235

French Connection jumper, £69

IRO Kailey Jumper £259.50

Sonia by Sonia Rykiel jumper, £250

So I found another short sleeved jumper to add to the wardrobe recently- a lovely hand knitted aran chunky knit which is oversized and cocoon shaped and was a bargainous £4.49 from my local Salvation Army charity shop:

I chose to wear it yesterday with my Uniqlo heattech long sleeved top from last year, my All Saints jeans that I got from the boot sale a few months ago for £3 and my new tan Chelsea boots:

I'll definitely wear this over my light and dark wash chambray shirts in the style of Laura of the WIT blog and with skinny jeans too- it really is a cosy buy and being short sleeved and oversized means I don't get too over-heated and stay snug at the same time.

Do you have any short sleeved jumpers in your wardrobe for this winter- is it a look you could or would try? I do hope you enjoy the rest of your week and stay snug and warm whatever you get up to!

Downtime Casual in Gant, Zara & Primark- 3 Shades of Claret

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week so far. With half term finished, my household routine can get back to normal and my days are now consumed with general housework, working at the library and if there is time spare, then of course blogging and some thrift shopping thrown in for good measure!

Yesterday saw a day where I was in more than I was out so a casual approach was called for. I am not really a jogger or trackie bottom wearer so on days which feature housework and lounging duties, I'm generally in jeggings or jeans. A couple of weeks ago whilst in Primark window shopping for scarves as I do, they had a basket of dark claret jeggings for just a fiver. I'm not normally a fan of Primark jeans but as I always try things on before I buy I thought I'd give it a shot, being that I have no jeans in this colour and the price was right! I also got a great pair of black leather gloves for under ten pounds so that shopping trip was quite successful. I'm wearing the jeggings with a thrifted Gant mens merino wool oversized sweater and my Zara chelsea boots:

This is a really relaxed and comfortable outfit and is ideal for when there is nothing much in particular happening- I really love mens knits as they tend to be really good quality and if you pick right can be worn for years to come. My Gant sweater was bought last winter and was just £3.99. It washes and wears really well and is just the ticket when you just want to chuck on something for those 'in between' weather days:

My Zara boots are being worn constantly lately- they were a boot sale find last year for only £2 and I'm letting them get a little scuffed for that 'lived in and distressed' look, so my outfit doesn't look too 'prim'. 

I don't generally dress head to toe in one colour pallette but I thought 'why not?' It makes a change to colour co-ordinating an outfit and gives a nod to the on trend colour of the season too.

Do you or plan to dress in one colour pallette? If you haven't tried it, give it a go!! Wishing you all a good week whatever you are up to!!

Thrift Inspiration.....Day Birger Et Mikkelsen and Dune Way!!

Hi everyone!! Over the last few weeks I haven't been visiting the boot sales as often as I have done in the past, so on Sunday I decided to visit my local one as inevitably boot sale season will be coming to a close shortly. I do love Autumn as I'm most happiest in jeans, jackets and boots which are my three favourite items that I can have in my wardrobe. I was fortunate to be gifted some flat ankle boots from T K Maxx which I showed you all at the beginning of the week and I was inspired by Vogues Spy section in choosing them.

Well my latest boot sale trip provided dividends as I was rewarded with this pair of black leather riding boots by Dune, which I so love and can't wait to start wearing:

They're knee height and being flat are perfect additions to my wardrobe as I've far too many heeled shoes and boots that rarely get worn:

As you can see, riding boots are very much on trend this season and not cheap either- to shop Dune for their current riding boots you're looking at an eye watering £250 and Ralph Lauren's are an even more unbelievable four figure amount of £1050-gulp!!

Which is why I love to see what is on trend for coming seasons and try to thrift accordingly!! My Dune pair were a bargainous £3- a lady spotted them before I did, tried them on and slung them aside and I just pounced and paid my money for them without any hesitations! If these are my last boot sale bargain of the year, I shall be most pleased!!

My second bargain over the weekend was this stunning cotton and silk peasant blouse by Day Birger et Mikkelsen a Scandinavian company which produce really unique covetable pieces and can be found at the likes of Net-A-Porter and My-Wardrobe:

The colour is very much plum/grape which is a perfect Autumn colour and will work easily with existing jeans, trousers and jackets in my wardrobe already and the price from my local Sue Ryder charity shop? A wonderful £3.25, less than a bottle of wine and a perfect weekend self treat!!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend whatever you get upto!! I've been a bit behind updating my other blog, LiveToLoveDenim.com, but I've just put a new post up-it would be great if you get a chance to check it out!!

Autumn Inspiration for Boots from T K Maxx

Hi everyone!! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend, unfortunately the weather where I live never materialised into an Indian Summer-more of a typical overcast Autumn day that couldn't quite decide whether to rain or not!

Well I was certainly cheered up last week when I was asked by the lovely people at TK Maxx to pick and review my choice of women's boots. Well it must have been fate because I really had been in my local T K Maxx store looking for boots for Autumn at least a couple of times already these last few weeks. Looking around in store I certainly found styles that matched up for the right price, but unfortunately my sizes were not available. So getting to choose what I wanted from their website was a perfect compromise.

I had an idea of what I wanted, as looking in the most recent edition of Vogue magazine I was immediately drawn to the Vogue Spy's feature. It's all about traditional and heritage pieces with a modern take for the coming season and the boots featured were really inspiring for what I wanted:

I wanted flat ankle boots, preferably featuring straps and or stud detailing, in brown or black.
My first choice was a pair of flat black leather biker ankle boots which had just the right amount of stud and strap detailing and perfect for wearing with skinny jeans this season:

My second choice was a true heritage and classic choice of  brown leather Chelsea boots which will go with so much that I have already in my wardrobe. This style in particular will work well with boyfriend style and straight jeans as well as smart trousers and also have a side zipper for easier access:

Both pairs are an extremely good fit and are sturdy, stylish and good quality leather-so it's a definite thumbs up and big thanks to T K Maxx for providing me with my perfect boots for Autumn and Winter!

If you've still to invest in some women's boots for this coming season then I would from my own experience definitely recommend you checking out the T K Maxx site, as they have a really good variety in different styles, colours and sizes and not only is delivery free for orders over £50, you can also do free returns instore too. Have a sneaky peak at their latest ad campaign, it really puts you in the mood for sorting out your wardrobe for Autumn!!

I hope you all have a good week ahead and I've heard the Indian Summer we've been promised should be with us this week, so here's hoping!!

St Katherine's Dock and Tower Bridge, MyStyle Out and About

Hi everyone! Today I thought I would share some pictures from last month when the weather was especially hot and sunny where I live. We decided to visit St Katherine's Dock and Tower Bridge, which is our favourite choice for either a spot of weekend breakfast, a mint or fennel tea pit stop or just for an afternoon browse taking in the sights, soaking up the sun and a spot of people watching.

Stylewise, I was a tad overdressed for all the sunshine- I wore Wrangler tan boots, Zara bleached jeans, grey Whistles tee-both thrifted and a new Primark scarf:

I really love this part of London-to me, it can't be beaten when you want to have a chilled out, relaxing time in the sun for a while and with it only being a 15 minute drive from where we live we do tend to visit fairly frequently:

Everytime we visit I always say that when I win the lottery, I'll be buying an apartment in one of these blocks!!

The Marina has some awesome yachts and sailing boats, sigh.....

A gorgeous view of the Thames, the Shard and Tower Bridge

This was the flotilla used in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year

My full outfit of choice for the day!!

What is your first choice destination for getting out and about in the Sun this Summer?

Thrift Inspiration, Pirate Style

My gorgeous blogger friends are a constant source of style inspiration-the lovely Pearl over at Fashion Pearls of Wisdom did a great post on Vivienne Westwood pirate boots on Monday, which I was so pleased to see, as on Saturday I purchased these ankle pirate style boots from budget shoe shop Priceless-half price from £20 to £10.

Obviously not in the league of Viviennes, but more in my price league and still a stylish low budget alternative!! I'm sure I'll be wearing these a lot this Autumn.

Who or what is inspiring you this Season?

Double denim-biker style!

Double denim is quite a controversial trend-you either love it or not. I'm willing to try it once, or more if it works!

I purchased this Topshop Moto biker denim jacket from Cancer Research charity shop a couple of weeks ago for £3.99 and I'm wearing it with my grey Comme Des Garcons tee, which was £1 from the boot sale a few years ago.

I'm also wearing my denim leggings from the local market last year, a few months before denim leggings, jeggings and treggings really became on trend!!

How about trying double denim this season?

Thrift Inspiration, Doing it Jimmy Choo Style!!

Checking out Elle magazine for March, I was pleased to see the ever popular open toe ankle boot was still in style for this season. I've been after a pair for a while, but wasn't sure of the right ones to go for.

I saw this pair in an Elle edition from last year and was suitably inspired to buy my pair below:

My pair are from Matalan and were a bargainous £14!! You can also buy them online and I've found in the past that Matalans sandals and shoes are quite good value for money

They are very similiar to the Choos-open lattice style, with a snakeskin style heel and faux suede uppers.

Will you be in open toed ankle boots this season?

Thrift Inspiration-Topshop style!!

I'm really inspired by Topshops latest offerings of boots.

Brown is in trend yet again this season and in a multitude of different styles, there is something to suit all tastes. Here are some of my favourite picks:

Topshop, £55

Topshop, £65

Topshop, £70

Topshop, £75

After I did this post on Saturday-this being a scheduled one, I visited my local Sue Ryder charity shop and found these gorgeous ankle leather brogue boots for only £7.95!! Plus they've been newly resoled and heeled-what a result!!

Thanks to Topshop for the inspiration, a £60+ saving on the £70 ones which were my favourite style!!

Weekend Outfit Post

Its been a little while since my last outfit post, so I thought I'd picture what I wore on Saturday for shopping in town. I'm wearing my Issey Miyake jacket, which I like wearing underdone, as it creates a waterfall effect. I've also got on as arm warmers (underneath) which are some leg warmers from H&M-they make a good layer if you're wearing a short sleeve top, which is what my poloneck body is.

I'm also wearing for the first time these high heel leather boots, which were bought at the boot sale in Spring. They are from Next and have a back lace up detail and were only £4.

Then I also have on my belt from Morocco, a favourite of mine. This weekends weather has been really horrid, torrential rain and winds, just as well I wasn't out for much of it, LOL!!

Thrift Inspiration, Doing it Net-A-Porter style!!

Now its coming up to Autumn and Winter, ankle boots, particularly suede ones are really in trend and these Christian Louboutin Fifre 120 suede ankle bootees, available at Net-A-Porter for £765 are just perfect for any occasion.

These equally gorgeous ones are by Pedro Garcia-the Dorice boots at Net-A-Porter for a cheaper £280.

So it was great to see these in trend for autumn as I had thrifted these cute plum suede ankle boots in Spring. They were from the Cancer Research charity shop and were around £4.50.

I haven't worn them yet, but on routing through my shoes and boots for autumn and winter, I realised these will also fullfil my wishlist item of heeled ankle boots, but in suede and colour.

I really like the colour and style of these-not overly high for me and they will look equally as good with jeans as they will with a floral dress, cardi and opaques come the colder weather.

All Booted up!!

As you may know, I had 2 items on my Fall wishlist-a denim shirt, which I picked up last week and the other was some heeled ankle boots in black. I'd seen some online, but am wary about buying, because of fit and comfort-I personally like to try and buy there and then.

So, a recent thrifting trip brought dividends as the 2 last shops visited yielded me 2 pairs of black leather as new ankle boots-hurrah!!

This first pair is by Dune and are slightly higher that ankle length, but thats fine-the fit is just right. These were from Norwood Trust charity shop and were £6.

So, after leaving the last but one shop I went into Sense charity shop and spotted these black leather Marks & Spencer ankle boots which were only £5!!

So, I'm totally booted up-I've a couple of pairs of flat black ankle boots already, knee length flat and heeled black boots, plus some French Connection brown leather and suede boots that I've had for a few years and barely worn twice.

How is your winter shopping coming along?

Leopardprint Love and Stud overload!

Well, this was my outfit for boot sale Sunday-it was freezing and foggy early morning, so I wrapped up accordingly and this is my vintage faux fur leopard print coat that I said I would show you all!! Its quite showy, so I like to wear all black (or jeans) to dress it down!

I did really well again today-I scored 2 stud belts-the skinny one was 50p and the wider was was £1 and they are both leather too!! My best bargain has to be these black leather and suede studded cowboys boots for-50p!!! I got to the mans stall and I only had 50p and a £50 note in my purse (for food shopping later!). He saw me trying on the boots and said I could have them for a £1, so I told him what I had left was 50p, so he said I could have them!!

So, quite a productive weekend for the boot sales-thats all for now folks!!