[OUTFIT] Love layering

I love the warm weather and long days of the summer but dressing for the warmer months is not half as pleasing as layering up in the autumn and winter. I noticed recently that in two weeks I hadn’t been a day without a scarf around my neck and I love it.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate feeling cold and too bulky in what I’m wearing but the process of layering up scarves and hats and jumpers and cardigans and coats is something I enjoy doing.

So it goes without saying that I was quite excited to be invited to try out one of Accessorize’s new winter ponchos. I love the blanket check and the removable faux fur collar – which doubles as a scarf on it’s own too! (Love a multi-tasking piece in my wardrobe!) Accessorize have a whole collection of ponchos to choose from this season with styles and shades to suit every wardrobe.

This is what I wore for celebrating bonfire night at the weekend:

I was wearing: my new Accessorize poncho; and new Clarks knee high boots:

[OUTFIT] Slipping Into Something Comfortable

The slip on trainer is the unexpected hero of the season. From nowhere it seems to have captured the imagination of fashion editors and bloggers alike.

Easy to wear and just the right amount of summery to pull on for cooler spring days, it’s a simple way to work the new season right now.

High street and high end are competing for a place on your shoe rack with slip on trainers making it into many collections. On the catwalks, Céline has led the way.

On the high street, Clarks has created their Glove Puppet slip on trainers. And I found myself wearing my pair all weekend!

First, I kept my outfit simple with Fat Face skinny jeans and a Warehouse tee:

Then I worked the classic clashing combo of animal print and sailor style stripes with this look:

I am wearing: Boden Breton tee, Fat Face jeans and Clarks slip on trainers.

How would you style these trainers?

[OUTFIT] Clarks At The Office: Heels vs Flats

Flats vs heels. Its an age old debate had by women for many years. Flats are comfortable, safe, were the shoe of choice of icons like Audrey Hepburn! Heels offer height and all of the things that come from that – greater confidence, a feeling of power and more.

We’ve teamed up with Clarks to prove that whichever you choose, flats or heels, you can look good for the office. Clarks shoes are synonymous with comfort, they are also the brand many of us will remember wearing as a child. But their latest collection dashes any misconceptions – it is modern, fashionable and chic!

If you choose flats for the office, make sure to go for something with a print or bold colour. The Alicia Ava slipper style flats are the perfect example: an interesting shape and design, combined with leopard print. Leopard goes with practically everything.

Look 1:

We love how the orange trim and the leopard print add a splash of something special to even the simplest of looks. Here, they’re teamed with black skinny trousers, with a striped t-shirt and bouclé jacket.

Look 2:

Usually a dress is our go-to for office dressing – these Vero Moda skater style dresses are perfect for easy mornings. Both the flats and the heels go well with this look – but we love the pop of print and colour in the flats the best.

If you prefer heels for work, Clarks are certainly the most comfortable you’ll find. No matter the height of the heel, their padded insoles give relief to the balls of your feet, allowing you to stay on them all day. The Babble Brook we chose combine sensible navy with a splash of royal blue for impact!

Look 3:

This outfit highlights the royal blue, picking it out and matching it with the blue stripes in the blouse. The rest of the look is kept simple with black skinny trousers.

Look 4:

This look is bolder, with print cigarette trousers. The shoes take a little more of a back seat. The thicker heel means that despite the high heel, they are very easy to walk in and wear for a full day at the office.

If you’re a fan of Clarks shoes, make sure you’re signed up for their newsletter as right now they’re running a competition to a weekend in style in London – as well as Clarks shoes, obviously!

Which do you choose? Heels? Or flats?

[OUTFIT] Black On Black On Black

Regular readers will know now that I am obsessed with all black looks. For me, they are so easy and require little to no thought when getting dressed. What goes with my black trousers? My black top. And what goes with my black top? My black shoes. Plus, in my opinion, they look chic and glamorous. And for the office I like looks that really don’t require too much thought when I’m still half asleep in the morning!

If there is a black option for a piece of clothing that I like, I will inevitably choose that over any other option.

So whilst browsing the sale racks in Dorothy Perkins the other day I was instantly drawn to the rail of black tops – all for £5 and under! And so I snagged two new black tops.

Of course, I had to wear one of them immediately:

I teamed my new black peplum Dorothy Perkins top with my black H&M trousers and black Clarks court shoes.

The ease with an all black look too is that accessories and make-up can be used to add colour.

Do you choose colourful or all black looks? What do you think of my look today?

[OUTFIT] Clarks Smoking Slippers

I’ve had these animal print smoking slippers by Clarks for months but they’ve always been a bit stiff. I realised the other day that unless I try to wear them in, there really is no hope of them ever softening. So I have been wearing them for short bursts and they are finally beginning to feel softer.

I love the slightly masculine style of the slipper-style shoes – and anything animal print is always a bonus. Plus, it seems to go with almost anything. I don’t like to play favourite with my shoes (obviously I love them all!) but these have barely left my feet in recent weeks – except for when the sun has come out and sandals then seem a little more appropriate!

These accompanied me on a recent evening out with the fiancé to see a psychic comedian (Ian D Montford). We were a little unsure what to expect as the tickets were bought for us as a gift but it turned out to be a wonderfully funny evening – totally what the doctor ordered given the current state of stress!

As an aside (and to explain), we have sold our house in Cardiff and have relocated to the West Midlands where we have both started new jobs and we’re now in the middle of a house hunt! It’s all go but really exciting! Once we’re settled, we’ll then be starting on the wedding plans in earnest. But until then, I think we have quite a bit to sort out!!

Back to the topic in hand, these rather fabulous shoes. How do you manage to break in new shoes? Which are your current favourites?

[INSPIRATION] Clarks Desert Boots

I confess, I am obsessed with Clarks shoes. Had you noticed?! (If not, see here!!)

Lately though, I’ve been becoming more than a little enamoured with their Originals collection and in particular their famous Desert Boots. My fiancé loves his pair of desert boots but I’ve always thought of them as men’s shoes – until perusing my favourite site for all things inspiration, Pinterest – and spotted some women wearing them and look stylish to boot (pun totally intended!!). They would work with my extensive collection of skinny jeans as well as thrown on with skirts and dresses.

I’m beginning to think that my shoe collection is quite bereft without a pair now. But the question is, which pair should I buy?

[INSPIRATION] Summer At Clarks

Clarks shoes have long thrown off their slightly old fashioned image and replaced it with slick campaigns and on trend collections. Horrah! My favourite shoes in my own collection are all by Clarks – bar none! Their specially designed Softwear cushioning make their heels a dream to wear – even the 9cm heels! For a self confessed flats girl, that is quite something.

For another two weeks Clarks is running their Free Your Feet competition – all the details for which can be found here. I wore my Clarks sandals – and freed my feet – on my recent holiday. But I’ve been eyeing up their selection of heeled sandals to add another pair – or two (!!) – to my collection!

If you’re also in the market for some new shoes, try out these four hot picks:

[OUTFIT] Little Black Trousers

I’ve been after a pair of plain black skinny fit trousers for work for quite some time now. I’ve tried many different pairs on but they never seem quite right. Trawling the H&M sale racks, I finally found the (almost) perfect pair! I had wanted pockets and these don’t have them, but otherwise, they have the cigarette shape I wanted and a slight pattern detail in the fabric. Plus the uber high waist and concealed side zip mean that they are so very comfortable.

For work, I have teamed them with a plain black tee and added orange heels and a pink necklace for some colour accents:

[INSPIRATION] Neon Colour Pop

I am a big advocate of keeping things simple when I put an outfit together and making a statement with my accessories instead. So I was pleased to see Baukjen advocating the same thing on Instagram! Recently you’ll have seen my orange Clarks heels and green heels popping up in outfit posts all over the blog! I love them. What can I say? Which is how they both made it into my picks for adding a pop of neon to your look:

Shop the post: #1: Rimmel yellow nail polish; #2: Warehouse jewelled earrings; #3: green Clarks court shoes; #4: orange Clarks heeled shoes; #5: orange necklace by Dorothy Perkins; #6: Barry M orange nail polish.

This is a great look for holidays and the summer too. I always love to add colour when I’m by the pool or at the beach. A bright nail colour on my toes is a favourite option: easy and effective. Something I’ll definitely be doing whilst on my holidays this week!

For further inspiration, check out this look – and this one! And be sure to follow on Instagram and Pinterest too.

How do you add a pop of colour to your looks?

Image via

[OUTFIT] Free Your Feet

Earlier this week, I posted about Clarks’ Free Your Feet competition for the summer and posted a photo of my new sandals. Well, here’s the whole outfit. This is what I wore for a balmy evening in London last week with my sister and fiancé:

I do like winter dressing: the boots, the layers, the scarves. But after nearly eight months of being wrapped up, I am in need for lighter pieces and sandals. I was pleased to be able to wear the vest my sister bought me for Christmas for the first time! It still wasn’t warm enough to swap my skinny jeans for shorts – and I did throw a cardigan on later.

I was also able to leave my shoes at home and instead wear these new sandals. I love the colour of these leather sandals which will add a splash of colour to any summer outfit. I can’t wait to wear them on my holiday next week. Did I mention I’m off to Spain for ten days – and I cannot wait!?

I was wearing: Urban Outfitters vest, Next skinny jeans and Clarks sandals.

How long do you wait to free your feet? Does it need to be boiling for your to ditch the socks? Or, like me, do you like to wear sandals with jeans and a jumper?