Bag ‘n’ Shoes: French Sole Quilted Red Henrietta Flats and Accessorize Alessandra Satchel

November 17, 2013December 6, 20134 Comments

The Great French Sole Factory Shop Haul continues – this time, with the incredibly festive looking pair of red Henriettas with white trim! The main body of these flats are quilted, but the toe is nubuck, which makes them look really pretty, but is a bit of a nightmare if you’re going anywhere that’s a bit damp!

However, there’s no denying that white and red seem made for Christmas (thanks, Coca Cola!). And, I paired it with one of my favourite bags, my red Alessandra satchel from Accessorize, which my friend Lisa bought me for my 30th birthday. You can purchase similar bags from Accessorize here: they’re one of my favourite companies!

Attached to it is a little Parazul charm I bought on holiday in the Caribbean. Parazul are one of those companies you see everywhere on a cruise, but at the time there was no way I could drop $100s on a bag, so I bought myself a little charm instead. On the shuttle back to the ship, one of the crew started cooing over my shopping bag, but his face completely dropped when I showed him what I’d actually bought! Still, I like it! And, as well as being a reminder of my holiday, it’s also a nod to my family’s shipbuilding heritage too!

And, finally, my nail varnish is Goldeneye by OPI – in my opinion, the best bright gold varnish for the Christmas season. Perfect if you want to get into the holiday spirit!

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Hobbs Antonia satchel and Accessorize Camden ballerinas

September 23, 2013December 6, 2013Leave a comment

Work has been insane recently so I’ve not had very much time to update the blog in the past week, but I did take a picture for Bag ‘n’ Shoes – I just neglected to upload it, cos I’m like that. My idea was to update these on a Wedneday, to celebrate hump day, so if I stay on track there should be another post like this the day after tomorrow… And, happily enough, my next Bag ‘n’ Shoes day after that falls on my birthday! And I happen to know I shall be receiving a rather splendid new bag then, because I bought it!

Anyway, shall I shut up and get on with it?

I was definitely feeling the love for autumn last week – there’s nothing quite like the crisp air and the sunshine through the red and brown leaves. It’s probably my favourite season! So as soon as it gets slightly chilly I’m in my wardrobe, cackling with glee, airing out my jumpers and scarves and getting ready for the cold. It’s not *quite* cold yet – in fact, today, it’s bordering on warm – but I’m going to get excited anyway. I wore my new-to-me red and green tartan scarf from Abercrombie and Fitch, which you can just see in the picture. A bargain on eBay and such a great colour! And, you can also see my big sloppy jumper from hush in there too. But that’s not the main attraction!

My lovely brown leather Antonia bag from Hobbs is surely the star of the show! I got her with my voucher I won from Ascot the year before last, and these Camden flats from Accessorize were bought on a recent trip to London when my feet just gave in in my heels – they were on sale, and I love the colour and the studs. (You can buy shoes from Accessorize here: I love their range!) So far my combos have been very matchy matchy, but unfortunately I think that’s going to be a theme for me! Maybe this little feature will encourage me to be more daring with my combos.

Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace

July 16, 2013July 16, 2013Leave a comment

On Saturday, the girls and I got up at stupid o’clock so we could head to London to celebrate the Coronation in her Madge’s fine gardens at Buckingham Palace.

The gardens are beautiful – although I obviously didn’t see them in their full glory, as they were covered in marquees full of stalls set up by Royal Warrant holders – everyone from the providers of locks and boilers, to high-end fashion designers, fabric shops and the now-famous Hunter wellies!

This gorgeous display is from Stewart Parvin, who was the designer of my lovely lace wedding gown, so I had to snap a picture. Check out that beautiful dove grey coat!

It was blisteringly hot all day, so it was time to break out the big floppy hat!

Bianca Hat, Hobbs Invitation / Slinky Facet Bead Drop Earrings, Accessorize / Green Gathered Dress, Zara / Gold Necklace, Peacocks / Gold Leaf Bracelet, Etsy / Barely There Non-Slip Tights, John Lewis / Patent Kate Bag, Jaeger / Maddox Wedges in Patent, L.K. Bennett

I love the neat gathered detailing on the Zara dress!

As you can see, my shoes got very dusty from the lawn, I do hope her Madge gets the sprinklers out this week before the grass pops its clogs!

Here’s the stand from Lock & Co Hatters, with some beautiful creations!

Absolutely gorgeous (and incredibly expensive) fabrics from Joel & Sons.

Beautiful blooms outside one of the eating places.

Of course, the food tent was my favourite!

The King’s Ginger had an amazing stand with some miniature bottles from the doll’s house at Windsor Castle. Their liqueur was absolutely top drawer too!

This was a neat display from Gordon’s Gin.

Ever wondered how Stinking Bishop is made? Wonder no more – this is one of the first stages, apparently.

Check out this beautiful display of French bread from Shipton Mill – I love bread, it’s one of my major weaknesses. I’ve ordered a selection box of organic flour from this company, and I’ll be baking up a storm when it arrives!

For lunch, we treated ourselves to fish and chips – it was delicious, if a little greasy… But hey, eaten in the shade on the Queen’s lawn – I don’t think you can beat that!

After our tour of the Warrant holders, we took a look around the gardens a bit more, and there were some lovely plants – as you would expect, of course!

If you’d like to visit Buckingham Palace and see the gardens for yourself, check out this site for details including prices and access information!

Birthday sundae outfit

July 9, 2013July 8, 2013Leave a comment

On Monday last week my husband’s lovely co-workers organised a surprise trip for him to go to a local ice-cream parlour. I, of course, was a major co-conspirator, so I had to pop along as well! Here’s my outfit!

Sunglasses, French Connection / orange, blue, white and silver textured jacket, Next / orange geo top, Next / jeans, Gap / red satchel, Accessorize / cat shoes, eBay

If I’ve only learnt one thing recently fashion-wise, it’s the importance of a range of cute blazers when it comes to pepping up an outfit. I love the colours in this, and multi-coloured items make it so easy to match accessories, etc. I got this in the sale at Next, after having stalked it at full price for some time – and it was the last one left at half price. Bargain!

They also match these orange-red cat flats I bought from eBay, which are sadly starting to show their wear, but I still love them. When I bought them, I had no idea they were copies of the Charlotte Olympia Kitty flats, but in all honesty I prefer the heel height on mine – which is to say, completely flat. Of course, if I win the lottery I will purchase the originals immediately! Also, please excuse the scratches on my foot – I was attacked by a bush on my parents’ driveway recently! At least it’s not as noticeable as what’s happened to my hand…

Nope, no idea why I have cuts all over it, other than I was doing *a lot* of party prep and being incredibly careless. Good job I’m not a hand model! But ignore the cuts, check out the cute Dog Zodiac bracelet my husband bought me from Mulberry in the sale!

Dogs are my favourite animal, and I was born in the year of the dog, so of course, I had to have this… It was fate! And, it came in its own dustbag, gift box and lovely Mulberry bag, too – all for the bargain price of £20!

I’ve been wearing it every day since – I usually hate bracelets and watches because of the constant feeling of something being on my wrist, or slipping around, but this is so delicate you hardly know it’s there.

Pride Parade and Mulberry

July 4, 2013Leave a comment

At the weekend, my husband and I went to London to see the finale of Viva Forever. So sad the show is closing because I thought it was a decent musical with some great highlights, but… I guess the press just wasn’t behind it. Bof.

Here’s my outfit for the day:

Zipper jacket, Zara / scarf, eBay / sunglasses, French Connection / mouse earrings, Hobbs / red satchel, Accessorize / jeans, Gap / leopard Indias with red trim, French Sole (via ASOS)

These shoes were a massive bargain, actually – somehow they ended up in the sale at ASOS for £67. They’d been in my saved list for ages so when I saw the price drop I ordered them right off. They’re ponyhair and I adore them – and they are surprisingly versatile even though at first glance they seem very outrageous. They’re also not at all my usual style – and in fact, a year ago I would have balked at anything animal print as being incredibly tacky – but hey… Things change!

Coincidentally, our trip was on the same day as the Pride Parade, so we stopped to watch it on Regents Street. It was awesome to be part of such an amazing demonstration, underneath the banners for the 60th anniversary of QEII’s coronation. How things have changed!

I also met this handsome chap, who totally knew he was hot stuff…

I LOVE Chihuahuas – my nan and mum used to breed them when I was little, so I spent my childhood surrounded by the critters. I’ll always have a soft spot for them.

By the end of the parade – which took about an hour and a half to filter past – I was plastered in stickers. It was great to be there to support the event, and I’m really glad we stopped to soak in the atmosphere.

Afterwards, I dragged my husband to Mulberry’s new flagship store on New Bond Street, to check out the sales.

I’m sure I’m not the only girl who lusts after a Mulberry to hang on my arm…

There were certainly plenty of goodies to choose from!

The design of the store was beautiful – of course, that was my official reason for visiting… Harumph…

When I came out, I was sure to send a photo to my fellow Mulberry-loving friend…

What was inside the bag, I hear you ask… It was leather protecting spray! Yes, those sweet shop assistants wrapped it up in one of their gorgeous bags for me. So, wrapped up in the giddy thrill and excitement, I forced my poor husband to purchase me a ‘gift’ from the sale – a Dog Zodiac bracelet, reduced from £40 to £20. I love it, I’ll post a picture later…

Next post will be all about our visit to Hawksmoor Air Street.

Trip to the Isle of Wight

November 18, 2012November 18, 20122 Comments

Today I visited family on the Isle of Wight – my Hush order arrived on Friday, so I was able to wear a new outfit as well as having an awesome day at the same time! I wore my new Sloppy Joe Dress in grey marl, and my L/L Stretch Tee in black, and together they really were incredibly warm and comfortable. Hush definitely deserve their reputation as a company for comfy clothes that are perfect for casual weekend outings – and the pockets on the Sloppy Joe dress are perfectly placed for mooching about in!

I wore the dress with a dark pink Fisherman’s snood from Oasis, and over the top was a giant coat I picked up from the Next clearance store in Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays back in April. I also took my red Alessandra crossbody bag that my friend Lisa bought me for my birthday in Accessorize. All set!

I had a blast visiting Osborne House – my nan, in the first picture, actually worked there as a maid during the ’50s, so it was fascinating to hear all of her memories about the place. And, as you can see, we had to have a go on the carousel too!

At the end of the day, we went to visit the shops on the seafront, and we wound up popping into Cameo of Cowes – hence the bags you can see in my hands in the photo on the top right! The shop sells unclaimed items bought/salvaged from lost property, and it’s a complete goldmine. I’ll post what I bought another day – needless to say, I am very pleased with my bargains, and it took a lot for everyone to drag me out of the shop! If you’re ever in Cowes, make sure to visit – it’s located at 16 Bath Road. I know I will be back, and probably with a bunch of friends in tow!

Food, Fashion and Fitness

Style, beauty, health and recipes

Tag: Accessorize

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: French Sole Quilted Red Henrietta Flats and Accessorize Alessandra Satchel

Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Hobbs Antonia satchel and Accessorize Camden ballerinas

Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace

Birthday sundae outfit

Pride Parade and Mulberry

Trip to the Isle of Wight

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: