I saw this competition advertised on one of my favourite UK fashion blogs: Littlebirdfashion.com and thought it looked really good fun. It’s my first one of these, so be gentle. One added bonus too – I think it might have cured me of my need to spend all my wages on clothes on payday! I am now well and truly shopped out. I think in total it probably took about 2 hours.

The premise is, to enter you need to choose an outfit (on trend) for 3 scenarios: casual, holiday and party. It has to be under £200 and showcased.

Casual

Cobalt Flats // Blush Inc
Jumper // Dorothy Perkins
Shirt // Zara
Jeans // Jigsaw
Necklace // ASOS
Pinky Ring // ASOS
Nail Varnish // Essie
Bowler Bag // H&M

This one is a play on the ever popular ‘cobalt’ colour. The pointed flats are American so I added a bit to the price to account for shipping – I love the colour and I don’t think it’s too much blue; sometimes when I see the jeans or pencil skirts in cobalt I think it edges towards looking tacky. I found the £20 jumper on DP and for the price it looks amazing – I’m totally gonna go into the shop tomorrow and check it out. I’m also really into these little pinky rings at the moment and slightly edgy necklaces.

I was going to pair the jumper with a Celia Birtwell x Uniqlo shirt but by the time I went to the site they had sold out! No rest for the (print) wicked eh!

Party

Dress // French Connection
Clutch // Coast
Shoes // New Look

This one I decided to keep simple. As the items themselves are quite colourful and busy, I decided against jewellery – nude make up would also be a must, perhaps with a fuchsia lippy! There’s nothing like a really nicely made, well cut French Connection dress, and I’m loving the slightly unique take on monochrome. I decided to do 2 trends in one and found this cute floral clutch at Coast. It’s quite loud but I decided to have a go at print clashing – what do you think? I don’t go to that many posh parties, so I don’t have much necessity for bags like this as I tend to take the kitchen sink with me wherever I go, but this bright and colourful handheld would definitely be top of my wish-list. I also like how it pulls out the jewel-fuschia tones of the New Look shoes. New Look still never disappoint when looking for cheap mega-heels!

Holiday

Bandeau Bikini // Urban Outfitters
Maxi Skirt // New Look
Sheer Black T-shirt // Mango
Statement Necklace // Accessorize
Sunglasses // M&S
Sandals // Steve Madden
Nail Varnish // Essie

This is a take on the aztec & khaki trends which still seem to be floating about. It’s all fairly straight forward – I’m still loving the retro high-waisted bikinis and these sunglasses from M&S look almost identical to my trustworthy pair of torty Raybans. These type of sandal I am seeing everywhere, but I particularly like the little bit of molten metallic strap work which makes them a little more interesting.

I also saw this great bandeau swimsuit on Pinterest several times over the last month, but could I find it today when I wanted it? No way.

So what do you think? Any bits you particularly like or hate?

For more information on the competition you can see here

Jacket // Zara //
Yellow Floral Stripe Dress // Topshop
Black Tights // M&S
Necklace // ASOS
Cut-out Buckle Boots // Office

I had a really nice Sunday today.

The weather was arctic (though not as bad as the rest of the country, eh!) but that didn’t stop us going for a mooch around the shops and coming back with an incredible carton of Boho Gelato ice cream. This stuff really has to be eaten to be believed. I went there specifically to get some salted caramel flavour which I had seen advertised somewhere else, but they were out. So instead we went for a right old mix of flavours: Banana & Nutella, Honeycomb Fudge, Cherry Bakewell Sorbet and Mini Egg. Needless to say, it didn’t last very long. If you’re ever in Brighton, i’d recommend paying a visit.

My outfit today is one of my new favourite ‘go-to’s. This T-shirt material dress was supposed to be spring-summer but has turned out to be more spring-winter, teamed with black opaque tights and a black body-con dress underneath for warmth. I love the bold print though; and the cute low v back will be great when the weather passes 10 degrees.

I umm’d and ahh’d over getting a leather jacket last Autumn as I wasn’t sure the biker look would suit. Then I spied this pleather version in Zara at £40, and thought ‘why the hell not’! Here I am 5 months later and I bloody love the thing. Teamed with the dress and Office cut-out boots and I almost feel cool!

Guess what lipstick I’m wearing? You got it! It’s another fashion blogger favourite. How original! Topshop’s ‘Brighton Rocks’ matte colour. I guess it’s kind of allowed though as I’m actually *in* Brighton, right?!

And finally, as a bonus laugh, here’s us trying to do a Satorialist shot. It also reminds me of how much weight I’ve put on (sadface, baww, the ice cream *was* nice though!), so, March 24th resolution is back to the Gillian Michaels DVD!

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Blazer // GAP //
Black Sheer T-Shirt // ASOS
Grey Skinny Jeans // Oasis
Black Patent Kitten Heel Courts // Marks & Spencers
Black Leather Croc Print Tote Bag // Mulberry

Since I’ve been living in my French Connection Pea Coat all Winter, I figured with all the good weather we’ve been having that I better invest in something that can see me through from spring to summer.

A good blazer is a wardrobe staple. It can be smartened up, dressed down, or just thrown on top of your favourite ditsy floral dress when the weather isn’t as warm as one might hope. The only problem I find is actually finding the perfect one. I’ve looked at plenty – tuxedo style, jersey, draped and preppy. On the high-street the material tends to be too thin. So, I went a bit further afield..

Banana Republic had the perfect blue blazer edged with ribbon in dark green. I tried it on with a shirt and a pleated skirt and then realised I was pretty much wearing my second school uniform, but I loved the quality and forgiving fit of the thick luxurious cotton. What I didn’t love, however, was the price. As much as I love Banana Republic for staples, at £110, I didn’t feel comfortable that I was purchasing an everlasting piece – something that would be a go-to of my wardrobe for years to come. So, I left (feeling a bit sad as I had my eye on a rather nice necklace too) and gave up with shopping for the day.

Then I had a blazer brainwave. I’ve never been much of a fan of Gap (I’m not really a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl) but I remembered their perchant for multitudes of blazers. And they are Banana Republic’s slightly more accessible, uglier sibling! In I went, and low and behold (with an added 40% off!) was this beauty. The material isn’t quite as nice as the BR blazer, and the fit isn’t quite as forgiving, but it has the ribboning and was a steal at around £30.

My new baby, straight from Paris (something to remember the trip by, ok!) is pictured above. I’m going to write a whole post about the bag-buying process as it was rather long and drawn out. I went into Mulberry to get an Alexa after giving up trying to find something more classic. But seeing the croc print in the flesh made me go full-circle and get my hopefully ‘forever’ handbag!

Another point on this outfit (which is very smart for me I must say) is these ‘Footglove’ kitten heeled patent courts by M&S. On the off-chance that I do have to look smart, or want to wear jeans, I needed something that wasn’t going to cripple me after hobbling 5 minutes out of my flat. And I feel like I can almost run in these beauties!

So, it appears the newest collaboration between fashion icon and high street name is Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo.

I must say, I’m a little more enthused about this one as uniqlo haven’t just used it as an opportunity to hike up their prices for a range that rides on the back of someone elses design talent (Orla Kiely *everything* anyone?)

However, not being stick thin does somewhat limit my print-clashing choices. I think I will have to dive deeper into the collection and see if there is anything I actually truly like that will suit me. The number of printed shirts I have tried on recently that end up making me look like Pat Butcher without the cool earrings!

I do really love this styling though on these Pyjama Pants…

What do you guys think? Anything good to be had? It’s cheap, and clearly cheerful, but is it *too* cheerful for your spring wardrobe?